


Strangers in the Stairwell

by LullabyeLaura



Category: Game Grumps, Ninja Sex Party - Fandom, Skyhill (Band)
Genre: Angst, Anxiety, Depression, Eventual Fluff, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence, Romance, Romantic Comedy, Romantic Friendship, Slow Build, Slow Burn, YouTube, domestic abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-13
Updated: 2018-11-14
Packaged: 2019-08-01 08:39:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 21,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16281254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LullabyeLaura/pseuds/LullabyeLaura
Summary: "I just wanna pig out with my tits out!" is usually not something one would hear on the way to their apartment. Dan's learning that his new neighbor is full of surprises.





	1. Chapter 1

Only one flight of stairs left. Just one, and she'd be in her new apartment, dropping off the last damn box. It was hard enough to move on your own, but factor in having to do it without a moving truck and it didn't get any better. Her apartment was on the next to last floor, which she initially didn't care too much about one way or the other, but after ten solo trips between the old apartment, her car, and new apartment with boxes in hand, she had reached the point of simply being grateful it wasn't on the last floor. The box she held threatened to slip out of her sweaty fingers as she passed the out of order elevator. _Of course it's out of order today,_ she grumpily thought. Walking up that last flight was arduous and a little dangerous; the way she was holding the box was obscuring her vision and because she was unable to hold onto any railings she had to take things one step at a time, literally. After what felt like hours, she was sure to have made some decent progress. She had to be _at least_ halfway through. Feeling out of breath, she looked over her shoulder and saw –at most – ten steps behind her. She groaned loudly, slumping as much as she could against the wall next to her. “I just wanna go to my new home, sit on the floor, and order Chinese food. I don't even care about unpacking tonight,” she whined, as if trying to reason with the Moving Gods. “I just wanna throw my shit down and pig out with my tits out!”

"Uh do you need any help or – ”

“HOLY – ” Surprise at someone's sudden appearance made her jump and lose what little balance she had. Her heels rocked over the edge of the steps as she slipped backwards. Before she had a chance to scream, the stranger behind her caught her. Strong but gentle arms stopped the fall and his firm footing managed to prevent them both from toppling backwards.

“Oh my god, I'm so sorry! Are you okay?” The tall man took a step back to give her some space as she swung around with the box she'd somehow managed to not drop.

“I'm fine, are _you_ okay?! I could've crushed you!” She looked down over the edge of the box to see genuine concern on this total stranger's face. “I'm so sorry, I wasn't really paying attention. It's been a long day.”

"No need to apologize! I'm just glad you're okay. Going by the box, I'm guessing you're moving in?”

“Nah, I just enjoying knocking over strangers with boxes on stairwells. Girl's gotta have a hobby, ya know?” Her tone was teasing, but her weariness had put a slightly unfriendly edge to it.

“Uh, well. Welcome to the building then.” He smiled at her for a slightly awkward and long pause.

_He's waiting for you to tell him your name, Stupid._

“Elizabeth. Or, just Liz.” His smile became somewhat confused, which in turn confused Liz. “My name?”

“Oh, I was waiting for you to move, it's a narrow stairwell.” Liz's face flushed with embarrassment. “Sorry about that. I'm almost done, haha.”

“I can carry that for you, if you want,” he offered helpfully.

“No thanks,” she said, despite a hint of exhaustion creeping into her voice. “This next floor is me. I'll be out of your way soon enough, I promise.”

“If it's only one more floor one box won't kill me,” the stranger joked.

“True,” she said as they moved upward. “But I've already come this far by myself, and it's the last box. I don't wanna wimp out now, even if it means taking down strangers in the stairwell.” The stranger chuckled as they finally reached the last step. Liz hated how much she was sweating. She tried to blow her bangs up off of her forehead, but they refused to part with the perspiration. Liz raised her leg, but hesitated.

“Do you need a little push?” The stranger asked as he leaned around to see.

“Please don't,” she said with a laugh. “Just need to get the momentum.” With a heavy grunt, Liz hefted her leg up onto the step and hoisted herself onto the landing. As she caught her breath the friendly stranger began climbing up the next set of stairs. “Thanks for your help earlier!”

“See ya around, Just Liz!” He smiled and waved as they went their separate ways.

Thankfully, the hallways were shorter than the stairs and it didn't take long for Liz to reach her new apartment. She fumbled with the keys and the box before dumping the box on the floor.

“Fuck it, we're here.” She unlocked the door and shoved the box through as it opened. She locked the door before slumping against it, sinking to the floor. Liz sighed, glad to be done with moving. She feebly fished her phone out of her pocket.

_Chinese delivery near me..._

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've had some ideas bouncing around for a while, so I thought it was time to write 'em down and see where it goes! My first time writing for the lovelies, so let me know what you think :) Title is a placeholder, I'll probably change it later down the road.


	2. Chapter 2

Liz didn't even try to unpack until the next day. She dug out a pillow and some blankets from one of the boxes and passed out on the floor, empty takeout cartons scattered beside her. She cringed when she saw them upon waking the next morning. “Liz, we're trying  _ not _ to get roaches.” She groaned as she stretched, feeling every bit of that hardwood floor on her back. She checked her phone and sighed when there were no new messages, no notifications. “I don't know why I'm surprised,” she grumbled as she got up, gathering the makeshift bedding in her arms. “I just moved here and I wasn't exactly a social butterfly before.” Still, she couldn't help but to feel conflicted that  _ he _ didn't text her.

_ He shouldn't be texting you anyway _ , she reminded herself.  _ You left him for a reason. _ She didn't start her new job for another day, so there was nothing she could use as an excuse to not unpack. Procrastination was a particular weakness of hers. She wasn't entirely sure  _ why _ she was trying to put it off so badly. There wasn't a whole lot to unpack. Sure, it felt like a lot, especially since she was the only one doing it, but now that everything was in the small apartment, she could see just how few possessions she actually left with. She'd had the forethought to at least put the boxes in the right rooms before she passed out last night, so that was one less thing to worry about.

There was no clear bedroom, making the apartment technically a studio. The kitchen was on the small side, but she didn't need much as she was living alone. She was glad the appliances had been included, though the lack of a dishwasher or space for one didn't excite her. A decently sized fridge stood on one end of the kitchen and a gas stove and oven combo served as a bookend, marking off the end of the kitchen. There was a small space between the kitchen and living room, and Liz planned on turning that into a mini dining area when she got the furniture. Wide windows let natural light flood the space, helping it to feel less claustrophobic. She tried opening them, and though they were a little stiff at first, they slid open, letting a fresh breeze roll in.

Well, “fresh” may have been an exaggeration. Liz coughed at the slightly polluted Los Angeles air, but at least it was  _ new _ air. Air  _ he _ wasn't breathing, and that was fresh enough for her. The windows were in dire need of a good cleaning though; between the dust and fingerprints it was difficult to see outside. Liz added cleaning to her mental checklist. Through the living room was the space she was going to make into the bedroom. It was larger than she thought it would be, not quite the “nook” that the online listing had implied. There would be room for a full sized bed, and possibly a desk. A pair of closets removed the need for any dressers, and upon further inspection Liz discovered washer and dryer hookups in the slightly larger one. There was a laundry room in the basement of the apartment complex, but it would be nice to be able to do her laundry in the privacy of her own home. Of course, first she'd need a washer and dryer.  _ One thing at a time. _

A door that she initially thought to be another closet turned out to be the bathroom door. It was neater than she expected. A light cleaning was all it needed. A sink and medicine cabinet were to her right when she entered and across from her was a shower-tub combo. The size of the tub made her grateful to be short. She didn't have a shower curtain, so baths were going to be the standard for a while. She checked the toilet and all the faucets to make sure everything was in working order before checking out the small linen closet for any evidence of pests. She let out a small sigh of relief; everything in her new home seemed to be functioning properly and the previous tenants had been kind to it. She was unable to see the apartment in person until she was actually moving in, so she'd taken a large gamble on signing the lease. Maybe her luck was finally starting to turn around.

She could hardly believe it when Allen, her ex boyfriend, had told her he was going on a weekend trip with his friends. He was going out of state and wouldn't be back until early Monday morning, leaving Liz just enough time to move while he was gone. They'd been broken up for a couple weeks at this point, but for financial reasons still lived together. For darker reasons, Allen didn't want Liz to ever leave.

“We're still a team,” he'd told her minutes after breaking up with her, tears still running down her face. “We need to stick together, even if we're not  _ together _ . I still love you like a friend.” He loved her like a friend, but left her with bruises after he found out she had lunch with a male friend a couple days later. He wanted the best for her, but threatened to kill her if he found out she ever cheated on him, despite having broken up with her. She tried to laugh it off. People use that as an expression all the time. But he made it very clear it was not just an expression.

“I'll do it. I don't care if I go to jail. I will kill you and be completely satisfied.”

The next day Liz began looking for apartments with secured entrances and found the one she now lived in. They wanted a security deposit of $400 along with first and last month's rent, but if Liz didn't do it she'd lose her nerve. She didn't want her procrastination to cost her her life.

So here she was, in LA all alone. She'd left all her family behind when she moved to California with Allen, but shame prevented her from asking them for help and lack of money kept her from moving any further. Still, she hoped that Los Angeles was large enough so that she could just blend in, melt away and be indiscernible from the thousands of others who lived there. She quit her job with literally a day's notice and began applying for another the same day. She'd managed to land a position at a gas station, but it was money, and money was something she was sorely lacking at the moment.

Her stomach rumbled loudly, reminding her that food was lacking as well.

“Okay, unpack and clean first, then we'll eat.” Liz found herself to be much more accommodating when bribed with food, even if  _ she _ was doing the bribing. She pulled her phone out and set her music library to shuffle. Liz was a firm believer in blasting music while cleaning. It just made everything go by quicker. An upbeat and catchy song began and Liz was unable to contain herself, singing along with Brenden Urie as she scrubbed the toilet and wiped down the windows. Sunlight that had only managed to filter through was now rushing in and casting a bright glow over the apartment. Liz was soon smiling and as the dust disappeared she began to feel that she was getting back in control over her life.

 

* * *

 

Training at her new job consisted of watching videos in the back for a few hours. She was on the clock though, and they let her have unlimited fountain drinks and slushies so she couldn't complain too much. Liz was surprised at the size of the 7-11. There was a full on beer cave in the back of the store, a self serve coffee counter, and hot food that was actually cooked in a mini oven behind the counter, along with a roller grill packed with hot dogs and Americanized taquitos. Originally she was only scheduled for 2 days the rest of the week but there was an issue with someone calling off that night so they put her on the floor right after training. Turns out it was mainly keeping the store clean that proved to be the most trouble. People let their children run wild in the store and the coffee area was a constant mess. She kept having to brew fresh batches of the high volume coffee pots and throwing out empty creamer containers that had been abandoned two inches away from the trash can. Puddles of the sweetened cream wiped up easily enough when they were fresh, but when they went unnoticed for more than two minutes, they congealed into a sludge that refused to be removed. The coffee corner's popularity dwindled at 11 pm, then the hot food picked it up. Entire pizzas were sold before they were out of the oven, so Liz was constantly flying between stocking the roller grill and throwing more food in the oven. Her shift finally ended at 1am, and she had never been more excited to go home and shower.

Just the thought of standing under the steaming hot water until the knots in her muscles loosened already started to melt some of her stress away.

_ Except you don't have a shower curtain, dork. _

Liz groaned loudly and dropped her head against the seat of her car. Baths were lovely, especially when there were bubbles and bath bombs and scented candles, but if she couldn't afford a shower curtain then she sure as hell couldn't afford all of those either. Still, a plain soak would be nice. She'd need it too, since her boss called before she left and asked her to cover her missing co-worker's shifts for the rest of the week. She ran around the store like a madwoman tonight and didn't even work the register. Retail was nothing new to her, but going by the way customers were bitching, the lottery machine was something entirely different to wrestle with. And don't even get her started on the creeps who acted like they'd never seen a woman before.

Liz stifled a yawn as she pulled into the parking lot of her apartment complex. Her keys jingled as she made her way to the door and quickly punched in the security code to get through the first set of doors.

Nothing happened.

Liz double checked the code she'd saved in her phone and tried again, using her phone's flash to make sure she was hitting the right buttons.

Nothing again.

“Oh no, I don't think so.”

Without a moment's hesitation Liz began systematically hitting each and every button available, undoubtedly waking up many residents but no one buzzed her in.

“Can't say I blame them. We  _ are _ paying extra for security.” Liz briefly considered trying to scale the outside wall of the building, but knew her physical limitations well enough. She wasn't bad on a rock wall, but the brick exterior was a lot smoother than any she'd ever climbed. The darkness also made it a very high possibility that she'd try to get into the wrong apartment as well. Upon further consideration, she was pretty sure she had locked her windows before she left anyway. She tried the buzzer again.

“Hello? I'm so sorry, but I keep messing up my access code and I can't get in. Would someone please let me in?” When silence met her again, she considered spending the night in her car. It certainly would be softer than the air mattress that she now suspected had a few holes in it. She was halfway back to her car when she thought she heard static on the intercom.

“Yes?! Hello?!” She frantically rushed back to the speaker, desperately hoping she wasn't hallucinating in her exhaustion.

“Is someone there?” She swore in relief at the sound of a voice on the other end.

“Hi, yes!! I'm so sorry but I just moved in and my code isn't working for some reason. Could you please let me up?”

“Uhhh I don't--” Suddenly the man who'd been speaking was cut off by another man.

“Just Liz?!”

Liz hesitated. Things were getting too weird for her.

“Yes?”

“It's me! I ran into you on the stairs the other day! Well, you ran into me--”

“Yeah hi, nice to see you again,” Liz's impatience was showing as she cut him off. “I just finished a rough shift at work, could you please let me in?”

“Oh yeah, that would be a good idea, wouldn't it?” The intercom finally buzzed and Liz nearly cried in relief.

“Thank you!” she shouted before running through the newly unlocked doors.

Inside the apartment of the man who buzzed her in, his roommate gave him a confused look.

“'Just Liz?'” he asked with a raised eyebrow. The tall man nodded.

“That's the girl I ran into on the stairs!”

“Yeah I got that much, Dan.”

“Barry, you wouldn't really leave a woman outside at one-thirty in the morning.”

“Of course not!” Barry rolled his eyes. “But  _ it's one-thirty in the morning _ . Only crazy people are up at this time.” Dan gave Barry a pointed look, gesturing between the two. “Oh I know. That  _ definitely _ includes us.” Barry yawned, scratching his beard.

“Aww, somebody is sweepy,” Dan teased. “Night, Barry!” Barry waved in response as he went to his own room.

“Hey, Dan?” Barry poked his head around the door frame. “Was she cute?”

Dan paused. He thought back to seeing her struggling on the stairs with that large box. He was going to offer to help her, but when he realized she was talking to herself he couldn't resist the urge to listen. Scaring her was definitely not intentional, but her reaction was priceless. Then when she turned around, he couldn't help but to take in her features as they made small talk. Her light blond hair was tied up in a messy ponytail that was threatening to come undone, pieces sticking up in various places. Her cheeks were flushed, skin drenched in sweat. She looked like she'd been caught with her hand in the cookie jar, green eyes wide in shock. And her vocabulary was... interesting, to say the least.

“She's  _ totally _ cute.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More Dan & Grumps are coming! Thank you for bearing with me as I set up the story and its little world.


	3. Chapter 3

Liz sighed as she slowly submerged herself into the piping hot bath. She leaned her head against the towel she’d rolled into a makeshift pillow and hummed in contentment. When her muscles stopped aching she was soon lost in thought.

Should she tell her family she’d moved? They hadn’t been in touch since she moved with Allen, but now she felt so alone. And there was the matter of only having a small fraction of her belongings. When she left it was a “now or never” kind of situation and she had to make some decisions about what came with her now and what could wait. She’d brought clothes and some towels, some toiletries, but that was pretty much it. All of the kitchen supplies and utensils had to be left behind, and she could forget trying to bring any of the furniture.

Then there was also the matter of getting her name taken off of all the bills. They shared the lease, but she was the only one on the power bill. Getting it changed over should be easy enough. All the paperwork and legalities weren’t the problem.

It was Allen.

Bills were always paid on time and in full so the property manager and others wouldn’t be an issue. But Allen was going to be nothing short of livid. He’d insisted they stay together. They moved to California so he could pursue his career as a police officer. He demanded that California was his calling and at the time Liz was so head over heels she needed little convincing. They were the only people they knew when they first arrived and clung to each other. Well, Allen wanted Liz to.

Liz had always been fairly introverted but Allen was the life of the party. He could sell ice to a polar bear. Allen told Liz he loved her, that he thought she was the most gorgeous person he’d ever met, and that he felt lucky waking up next to her everyday. Promises of marriage were made, and they were meeting each others’ families. It didn't hurt that he was gorgeous too. Her female coworkers kept saying he looked like a shorter Ryan Reynolds, and Liz happily agreed. Allen was really into all the same stuff as Liz, too. He loved video games and they played together almost all the time. He was so energetic and happy all the time, and as someone who suffered from anxiety and depression, Liz really valued this.

Then, Allen would make subtle comments about Liz’s weight. Told her if she was going to eat that much then she should come work out with him. Told her she wouldn’t be depressed if she worked out with him. She tried explaining to him that there was no reason for her to try losing weight. She was perfectly healthy aside from her mental illness, and she had taken a really long time to get to a place where she was comfortable with her body. She tried to tell him that his words made her feel unloved.

He told her she was disgusting and lazy.

He told her that he was so repulsed by her body that he thought of other women when they had sex.

Next he started to belittle her for working a minimum wage job. She’d dropped out of college to move with him and it was taking him longer than promised to graduate from police academy. He promised she’d be able to start school again after they settled in, but they needed money. Liz picked up a job working retail, and when Allen failed his first exam, she picked up a second job as a waitress. All the while Allen only tried getting one job, didn’t like it, and quit because it made him too tired.

“You need to get a job in your career field! Working retail isn’t going to make you successful. Stop being complacent. Stop being so damn lazy.”

The house was constantly a mess. Liz did her best, but often she’d come home from a double shift to find the house a wreck, with Allen playing video games. He’d complain whenever she asked him to do anything, whether it was running the dishwasher or taking the trash out. So when her depression started getting worse, so did the state of the house.

She’d manage to tune all of this out somehow. Liz was stubborn and hated giving up, especially on people. But she couldn’t ignore the drinking.

The first instance that bothered her was when he bought a bottle of Fireball for them to share. They’d planned to get extremely drunk together and just have a blast being blasted. What Liz didn’t plan on was her stomach remembering the last time she’d had too much Fireball, and rejecting it nearly as soon as it touched her lips. She tried to power through it, but after only two shots Liz was running to the toilet.

“Allen, I can’t,” she said as she refused the bottle he offered to her. “It’s making me sick already.”

“Don’t be such a bitch, just drink it.”

“Allen, I’m not kidding. Getting drunk is not worth throwing up over.”

“Are you fucking kidding me? You said you like Fireball! I bought this for you! Don’t be so fucking selfish.” Liz stood her ground, and as a result Allen had what could only be described as an adult temper tantrum.

He cried and screamed all night about how she didn’t love him, and she only cared about herself. He drank the entire liter bottle by himself that night and when she tried to apologize to him, he shrugged her off and said he needed to be alone. She hid his keys in fear of him leaving and driving while drunk. When he found out (because he had tried to leave and drive while drunk) he threw her favorite coffee mug at her. He narrowly missed and it shattered on impact with the wall, littering the floor with shards. Two minutes later he started crying again and asked her to cook something for him. As he hugged her waist, tears and snot running down his face, Liz realized for the first time this was not normal fighting that most couples have.

A week later, Allen broke up with her and proposed that they stay together as roommates. He begged her to stay and not leave him alone in the city. He reasoned that they’d save money if they stayed together. Liz hadn’t noticed that she was the only one paying bills for a while at this point. One night while Allen was at the gym, Liz called her only co-worker she’d become friends with.

“Tom, is this normal?” she asked after filling him in.

“Liz, I want you to come stay with me.” His response shocked her.

“Why would I--”

“You’re not safe.”

“He hasn’t touched me. We’re not even dating anymore.”

“Then why the hell is he still living there?! Kick his ass out!”

“I can’t do that to him,” Liz sniffed. “I can’t just abandon him.”

“He abandoned you the moment he started treating you less than you deserved.” Tom sighed. “Don’t… don’t wait for him to hit you. Come have lunch with me this week and we’ll talk about things, come up with a plan or something. Okay? Does that sound good to you?”

Liz was stunned. _He wouldn’t hurt me. He loves me, he said so. He said we’re a team._

“Liz? Who are you talking to?”

Allen had come home from his workout, drenched in sweat and carrying the empty milk jug he used for a water bottle.

“It’s just Tom,” she replied, still unsteady from their conversation. Tom’s voice shouting from her phone reminded her they hadn't hung up yet. “Hey, lunch sounds good. I’ll text you later about what time.” Liz hung up before Tom could say anything else.

Allen threw himself on the couch, motioning for Liz to join him. She put on a smile and sat down, flinching slightly when Allen put an arm around her and drew her in.

“So what were you and Tom talking about?”

“Just catching up.”

“What’s that about lunch I heard?”

“We haven’t worked together in a while and he wanted to meet over lunch. Just wanted to catch up some more.”

“I don’t trust him. He’s always had a thing for you.”

“Yeah, right,” Liz snorted. Tom was quite possibly the most homosexual man she had ever met. The first time they ever spoke was over how attractive they both thought Allen was. Since that conversation the two had become very close, making crafts together, seeing movies when Allen had to leave for school related business.

“If you ever cheated on me, I’ll kill you.” Just… just like that. In a tone so blase that Liz started laughing. “I’m not kidding.” He pulled away slightly to face her. “I’ll do it. I don’t care if I go to jail. I will kill you and be completely satisfied.”

Liz couldn’t sleep that night. Allen’s face was hard and his eyes were black pools of a simmering anger that she’d never seen in person. He insisted he slept better when they shared the same bed, and that night his arms around her waist felt like snake coiled around her, threatening to crush her in its grasp. She could almost feel his touch now, gripping her tightly --

A loud scream from upstairs made her flinch, her head slipping off the makeshift pillow and plunging into the water. She spluttered and coughed, grimacing at the the taste of the soapy water. Another scream pierced the air as she wiped her nose.

“What the fuck?” She stared at the ceiling above her. Yet another scream, but this time she could tell it wasn’t coming from directly above her.  She stood up and grabbed a clean towel off the rack, wrapping it around herself. There wasn’t screaming anymore, but she could definitely still hear loud voices. She followed the voices into the living room, face turn upwards to the ceiling the entire time.  

They were definitely male voices, that much she could tell.

“Goddammit!!!” Liz flinched but when she heard laughter she was just plain confused.

“You see those fucking Magic Mike fingers going up your COOOOTERRR--”

Oh no. She did _not_ sign up for this shit.  Liz threw on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt before storming out the apartment, making sure to grab her keys first. She didn’t want to get locked out for a second time.

Her bravado got her about as far as outside her own front door. She didn’t know which apartment it was, but she could at least tell it was someone upstairs. Once on the next floor, it had gone quiet. Liz waited, but wasn’t sure what else to do. She couldn’t exactly go around putting her ear up to random people’s doors. She tried counting the doors down in relevance to her own apartment, but it seemed the ones above her were slightly bigger due to the large spaces between the doors as opposed to the ones on her own floor. Liz quietly contemplated her options. Until she knew the culprit, there wasn’t much she could do.

Except…

Liz nearly tripped on the stairs in her excitement to get back to her apartment and enact her revenge.  Her laptop was waiting for her in the middle of the air mattress. She did a quick Google search but was disappointed by the lack of results.

“Oh wait, safe search _off_.” With that adjustment, Liz was inundated with what she was looking for. _Thank god my virus protection is up to date._ She brought her laptop into the living room, right where she heard the previous screams the clearest. She took a moment to make sure her volume was all the way up, then hit play.

“Squeal like a pig, you worm!!” The demanding female voice thundered through the apartment. “Come on little boy, I can’t hear you!”

“REEEEEEE! REE REE REEEEEE!!!” Liz winced at her busted eardrums but the satisfaction of knowing the upstairs neighbors had to share her pain made it a little more manageable. Two minutes into the hardcore porno, she was nearly tempted to look at the screen. There were some interesting commands being issued.

“Lick the toilet, little boy!!!”

“O-kayyy, that’s enough.” Liz shut the laptop with an ungentle swiftness. The silence that now filled her apartment was deafening. Liz waited, expecting upstairs’ shouts to resume, but she heard nothing.

Liz never would have credited BDSM porn with giving her a good night’s sleep, but thirty minutes later and there she was.


	4. Chapter 4

Starting her life over felt strangely cathartic. True, she had never been more tired or hungry in her life, but knowing she was completely self-reliant was good. She didn't realize how frightened she used to feel until she knew she was in a safe place. A week into living in LA and her past almost seemed like a really bad dream.

Her apartment was unfurnished with the exception of the air mattress and her fridge looked like a single white man in his fifties had stocked it. Bread, sliced turkey, and bottles of water were its only inhabitants. Liz wanted so badly to go on a shopping trip, to fill her new home with everything it needed, but she knew that she needed to save what money she could. She had very little in her savings account due to having to support Allen and moving so unexpectedly had been expensive. She knew that if she stuck to her budget she'd be back on track soon enough. Still, she _really_ missed Doritos.

Today Liz had a rare day off and used the opportunity to get some laundry done. The elevator had finally been repaired, and Liz was grateful to not have to lug laundry down three flights of stairs. She never used the stairs anymore; they were mortal enemies now. As she passed her key card over the scanner at the laundry room door, her phoned chimed in alert of a text message. Liz's heart instantly began racing.

_Calm down. Get your laundry in first._

Liz put every item inside the washer one at a time, and took entirely too long measuring out her laundry detergent. After she slid the quarters into the appropriate slots, she couldn't put it off any longer.

“ _Where the fuck are you?_ ”

She wasn't surprised. If anything, she was surprised it took him this long to realize she wasn't there. _I shouldn't be, he clearly didn't care about me._

Liz didn't have anything else to do and enjoyed being out of her apartment, even if she was still in the same building. She pulled herself on top of the washer and started flicking through Netflix on her phone. Halfway through an episode of The Office she was fast asleep and didn't wake up until someone slammed the door to another washer. Liz flinched, looking around in panic until she remembered where she was.

“Sorry, didn't mean to scare you!” Now that seemed familiar. Liz recognized him as the guy on the stairs, and now also the guy who saved her bacon when she'd locked herself out. “Hey, Just Liz!”

“Are you always going to call me that?” she asked, smiling in spite of herself. “Doesn't seem fair when I don't know your name.”

“Dan,” he says, extending a hand for her to shake as he stopped putting quarters into the washer.

“Nice to meet you when I'm not in distress,” Liz teased. She felt a fluttering in her chest as she met his warm and friendly gaze, taking in his appearance for the first time. A wild mess of dark curly hair framed his face that seemed to naturally smile. He was slender, and _very_ tall. Liz had always been a little on the short side, but standing next to him she felt dwarfed by his height. Her eyes widened when she looked down at his hand. “Holy _fuck_ , you've got some massive thumbs!” Dan burst out laughing, clutching his stomach as Liz's face turned a deep shade of red, embarrassed by her outburst. “I am _so_ sorry!”

“No, no it's--” Dan couldn't stop laughing long enough to talk, hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. “It's true,” he wheezed. Mortified, Liz jumped off the washer and contemplated leaving her wet clothes inside and fleeing back to her apartment. Instead she started tossing them into a nearby dryer in a rush, eager to leave.

_Yes, Liz. Leave your clothes with a stranger. Such a wonderful idea._

She frowned at her own cowardice and sarcasm _. _I came down here to do something and I'm gonna finish it._ _ Liz let out a steadying breath as she started the dryer cycle.

“No dryer sheets, huh? I too like to live dangerously.” Despite her nerves, Liz managed a small chuckle.

“What’s the point? My clothes are gonna smell the same either way.”

“Supposedly they help with static cling,” he replied as if he were an expert on the matter.

“Ah, but you don’t need to worry about static if you take days to put the clothes away,” Liz said with a wink. Dan laughed again, and Liz smiled. Her eyes widened as she noticed his shirt for the first time.

“Hey, you like Legend of Zelda?”

“I fucking love it! It’s my favorite game!” Dan’s brown eyes lit up.

“Do you have a favorite, or do you just love the series in general?” Liz leaned back against the dryer as Dan leaned against the washer.

“The original on the NES will always be my favorite. What about you?”

“I really liked Ocarina of Time,” Liz replied after a moment of consideration. “I thought the limitations on Link depending on what time period he was in was a really interesting mechanic! It was really fun trying to figure out different ways to solve the puzzles. Ooh!” She perked up as she remembered something. “ _Please_ tell me you didn’t see that twist coming near the end, where Zelda was--”

“ _\--Shiek_ the whole time?!” They exclaimed in unison.

“Dude I totally didn’t see that coming,” Dan said in awe. “The whole time I just thought it was some mysterious rando. My buddy Arin gave me hell for it in the end.”

“So did my cousin!” Liz cried out. “He was all ‘hurr durr you never see them in the same place at once duh it’s Zelda.’ Shitty logic, you never see me and Batman in the same room but I’m not Batman.”

“That’s exactly what Batman would say.” Dan eyed her in false suspicion. She returned his serious gaze and held it for about a second before they dissolved into giggles. As Liz tried to catch her breath something caught her eye in the vending machine that was tucked away in the corner. 

“Ohhh, Doritos,” she moaned. Dan took a step back.

“Do you uh, do you need some alone time? Because I can just--”

“No! No it’s fine!” Liz said a little too quickly for her own liking. “I just haven’t had them in a while.”

“Well they’re right there,” Dan gestured with a freakishly large thumb.

“Nah, it’s not a big deal,” she said with a wave. _Don’t tell him you’re broke. Don’t tell him you’re broke.  “_ It’s just that--”

Her phone began abruptly ringing. Filled with dread, Liz checked the display.

It was Allen.

 _I need to talk to him at some point,_ she thought with a sigh.

 _“_ Hey Dan, would you mind watching my clothes for me? I need to take this call.”

“Sure but I don’t think they’re going anywhere.” Liz snorted.

“You know what I mean. They should be done soon so just grab me if they finish before I do.”  Dan waved in a mock salute and they exchanged smiles before she stepped into the hallway.

“Hello?”

“Why didn’t you answer my texts?”

“‘Texts?’ I thought you only sent one.”

“So you did see it then and chose to ignore it.”

Liz pulled away from the phone, looking at it in disbelief. “What do you want, Allen?”

“I want you to answer me. Where the fuck are you?”

“I’m… I left.”

“When are you coming back?”

“Allen… I’m-- I’m not coming back. I moved out.” Liz knew he would be pissed but the unadulterated rage he directed towards her took her breath away.

“How the FUCK could you do this to me?! We were supposed to be a team! We were supposed to take care of each other and you just fucking left me here?! What am I supposed to do about the fucking bills?!” Allen seemed to step away from the phone for a moment and Liz could hear things breaking in the background. She put a shaking hand over her mouth to suppress a sob but it slipped out.

“Are you fucking crying?! _You_ abandoned _me_ and you’re fucking crying? You selfish bitch!”

“Jesus fuck, Allen! What do you expect me to do?! Yes I’m fucking crying!” Tears she tried to hold back now streamed down her face as she attempted to muffle the sobs that shook her body. Allen said nothing, but she could hear his steady breathing on the other end.

“I’m sorry Liz,” Allen said after a long pause. “You just really hurt me. I really thought you would always be there for me.” Allen sniffed, wetly, as if he were crying now too.

“Allen, I--”

“Hey, Liz? Your clothes are dry.” Dan cracked open the door and his eyes widened when he saw the state Liz was in. “Hey, are you okay?” The sincerity in his voice made Liz cry even harder.

“Who the fuck is that? Liz, who the FUCK--” In a panic Liz hung up on him. She leaned her head back on the wall behind her, forcing herself to breathe out. She wiped her face on her sleeve before answering.

“Yeah it’s just um… That was my ex-boyfriend. We broke up and I moved,” she said simply. _No need to freak him out anymore than he already is._ “Thanks, I’ll come get my clothes. I just need a second.” Dan nodded and gave her a small smile before going back inside.

Her phone began to ring -- Allen again-- and Liz flicked the ignore button. She took a deep breath and reached for the door as Dan was leaving through it.

“Oh, hey I’m--”

“I’ll see you around, Liz. I hope you feel better.” Dan waved at her then got on the elevator.

“See you around,” she responded weakly.

_Good job, Liz. You just scared off perfectly good friend potential._

“Shut the fuck up,” she mumbled to herself as she turned the doorknob. She just wanted to grab her clothes and bury herself in the freshly warm blankets, maybe binge some Queer Eye while she was at it. But when she opened the dryer, she found more than just her laundry.

There, perched on top, was a bag of Cool Ranch Doritos from the vending machine.

“What the…” Liz picked up the bag in shock and noticed writing on it.

_You seem to be going through some stuff so feel free to text or call me whenever you feel like it._

_PS I wasn’t sure if you liked Cool Ranch or Nacho Cheese so I picked Cool Ranch bc you seem like a cool chick._

_PPS this is Dan not the Dorito company._ The message ended in a line of numbers that seemed to be written in Sharpie. Liz’s eyes welled up again, this time because of someone's kindness.

“Wait a minute. Who keeps a Sharpie on them?”


	5. Chapter 5

The empty bag of Doritos lay on the kitchen counter. It took Liz about five seconds to devour its contents but she was having a harder time discarding the bag itself, mainly because of the number and message on it. These were the first kind works she'd heard since she moved. Hell, since she she last spoke with Tom. She felt a pang of guilt at thinking about her friend. She hadn't contacted him at all since she left and knew he must be worried, but with the way Allen was acting she didn't want to give away any clues as to where she was. If she had to temporarily sever ties, then so be it. Despite the sting of loneliness this made her feel, she was hesitant to reach out to Dan.

From what she could tell so far, Dan was truly a sweet man, and he made her laugh so easily that she could forget for a moment the hell she'd been through. But Allen had made her laugh once too, and Liz was hesitant to trust anyone again.

These were the thoughts that rolled around her head as she went through the motions at work that night. The job was so mind-numbingly easy that she frequently daydreamed to pass the time. Right now, the most appealing thing was being in a new town of her own free will. Not feeling like she’s running away from something, but _towards_ something. Towards what, she didn’t quite know, but the change of direction would be nice. Maybe… Paris? She had always wanted to go someday. She’d never even left the country before. Spending the afternoon on the terrace of a Parisian cafe, lounging in the sunlight with a glass of champagne in her hand... Day drinking? Oh no, it’s called “sophisticated” in Europe. Nearby a woman sells flowers from her garden. Liz closes her eyes, basking in the warm midday sun. She hears the waiter approaching.

“Maverick red kings.”

Liz sits upright and stares at the waiter, who is staring right back.

“Excuse me?’

“What are you, stupid? I said Maverick. Red. Kings.”

Liz blinked and the waiter was not a waiter, but a customer, and the Parisian cafe was not a cafe but a Californian 7-11.

“Uh, sorry, which ones are those again?” Not being a smoker herself, Liz was less than familiar with the different brands of cigarettes for sale. The man sighed, and pointed to the dusty cartons on the bottom shelf. She tried to avoid eye contact as she cashed him out. That wasn’t the most embarrassing day dream she’d ever been caught up in. The worst was when she was thinking about what to cook for dinner during a college lecture and moaned out loud in the middle of a professor’s lecture.

It wasn’t her finest moment.

The rest of the night was fairly uneventful. When her third shift replacement came in she clocked out as soon as he clocked in and went home. Her bosses were strict about leaving on your scheduled time to prevent anyone from earning overtime and Liz wasn’t about to fight them. Something about that place was just absolutely draining and she felt disgusting at the end of each shift. No matter how much she cleaned the store there was always dust, and some kind of horrible surprise was always waiting in the bathroom, both men’s and women’s. Today they had to actually lock off the men’s room because someone decided to piss in the sink.

_People will never_ _cease to amaze me. It’s actually more effort to piss in the sink than in the damn toilet._

Liz passed out nearly as soon as her head hit the pillow that night. Her dreams started as a frenzied series of running, terrified of looking behind her. She couldn’t see what was chasing her but the presence was familiar enough to keep her from wanting to be caught. The forest she stumbled through was dark and dense, suffocating all of her senses. Breathing came in quick, shallow bursts that only made her lungs ache. She wanted this to end, she wanted to stop--

A large root snarled around her foot and pitched her forward, screaming as she was hurled into darkness. The leaves around her rustled as something approached her, something large. Liz tried to press herself as flat as possible against the ground in an attempt to not be seen but she could hear the great beast sniffing about the forest floor. As it stepped closer, the clouds shifted and moonbeams shone through the canopy to reveal a large stag, larger than anything she’d ever seen. It lowered its magnificent head and met her eyes with a steady gaze. Liz felt strangely peaceful, cautiously extending her hand out to it. It stepped closer, and said--

“I HOPE YOU TASTE MY FUCKING ELBOW!”

Liz bolted up in a cold sweat, as the upstairs neighbors screamed at each other. She groggily checked the time on her phone.

“Three AM? Are you fucking kidding me?!” She craned her neck back to stare at the ceiling in a mix of anger and awe.

“OOH YOU GIMME DAT ELBOW BABY, I LOOOOVE IT!”

Liz put her pillow to her face and screamed.

* * *

Liz managed to fall asleep again, but was woken back up twice the same night for the same reason. By the time the sun rose she knew that sleep wasn’t something she was getting today. She couldn’t stop thinking about what Allen said about the bills. She didn’t feel a lot of sympathy towards him at the moment, but at the very least she needed to get things switched over and let him know he was responsible now. Maybe they could work out some kind of agreement about the furniture and her remaining belongings. Sleeping on an air mattress was getting really old, really quick.

Liz pulled up his info in her contacts and called him before she lost her nerve. He answered on the third ring.

“Lizzie? I’m so glad you called!”

“Allen, we need to talk.”

“I know,” he sighed. “About the way I acted the other day… I was way out of line. I’m so sorry I hurt you, I was just hurt too.”

Liz blinked in surprise. An apology was the last thing she expected, especially one that sounded so sincere. _Shake it off. That’s not what you’re calling about._

“Thanks, but I’m calling about the bills. We need to get them changed over to your name.”

“Okay but you need to pay your half of rent and utilities.”

_That’s awfully bold of you, but if that’s the price of freedom I’ll take it._

“Sounds fair to me,” Liz agreed, forcing a chipper tone into her voice. “But after I do that, you’re responsible for everything else. I’m not going to pay for your rent _and_ my rent.”

“You wouldn’t have to if you didn’t leave me.”

“I wouldn’t have left you if you didn’t beat me.”

 _Shit._ That was an inside thought. Liz braced herself for the barrage of hate but nothing happened. Allen just sighed.

“Whatever. I’ll call the property manager and whoever else to take care of things. They’re gonna have paperwork for you to sign. Give me your address so I can send it to you.” This immediately set off alarm bells for Liz.

“No, just tell them to call me and I’ll give it to them.”

“Why, you don’t want me to know where you live?”

“No! I just... “ Liz struggled to think of a lie on the spot. “There’s some crazy guy who keeps stealing our mail so they’re changing out the mailboxes.”

“Oh that sucks.” Liz let out a breath she’d been holding. “Well… what do you want me to do with all your stuff? I need the furniture but you left a lot of like, clothes and books and stuff.” _He needs the furniture but I’m sleeping on the floor._ If Liz tried rolling her eyes any harder they’d roll right out of her head. Fine, she’d just go shopping when she had the extra money. She hated his crusty couch anyway.

“Would you mind boxing them up for me? I can come get them at some point.” She’d only need a small U-haul and would be able to take care of it by herself. It would suck, but with the truck she’d only have to make one trip. Much easier than when she first moved in her tiny VW bug.

“Sure! I can bring a couple to you too, the small stuff at least,” Allen offered hopefully.

“No that’s fine, I’ll just get a truck and do it myself,” Liz replied firmly.

“Whatever, I’m just trying to help you,” Allen muttered defensively.

“Well that’s all I wanted to talk about. Thanks, Allen.” Liz hung up before he could prolong the conversation any further. She sighed deeply, surprised at how well that actually went. She yearned for closure, to just put everything behind her. Too bad there wasn’t some magic wand she could wave to just make everything better without all the messy bits. As she leaned against the kitchen counter her eyes fell on the empty Doritos bag. She liked Dan, from what little interaction they’d had, and her conversation with Allen was what she considered a success. It was enough to give her the courage to dial the number he left for her.

Two rings into the call she noticed that is was only 7:15 AM.

_SHIT._

Liz wasn’t a morning person at all. The lack of sleep messed with her perception of time and now she was calling someone for the first time, probably waking them up. She scrambled to hang up but before she could hit “end call” the line picked up.

“Hello?” Liz recognized Dan’s voice, which sounded distinctly groggy. She covered her the microphone and swore as quietly as her panic allowed her before replying.

“Hi, Dan, it’s Liz.” _Why the fuck couldn’t I just text him like a normal person?!_

“Liz... Liz! Hey, how are you?” He still sounded tired but also…excited? Liz didn’t expect that. Today is just full of surprises.

“I’m good, sorry for calling so early, I didn’t notice what time it was.”

“No worries, my alarm was about to go off anyway. I love mornings!” Liz couldn’t relate.

“So I was just wondering if you wanted to hang out today? I have the day off and last time I did laundry. Thought I should probably get out of the building this time.”

“Oh I don’t know, I’ve got a pretty busy day planned.” Liz’s heart sank. “I’ve got ‘nothing’ until 12, and then right after I have ‘diddly-squat’ for the next few hours. I _might_ be able to squeeze you in since you asked so nicely.”

Liz laughed a little harder then she meant to, fueled by anxiety.

“Liz, you there?”

She forgot to reply. Oops.

“Yeah, thanks for working e into your oh-so-busy schedule. I have to admit, I have no idea what to suggest. I don’t know the area at all.”

“I’ll come up with something, no worries. Meet you downstairs at eleven?”

“I thought you were otherwise occupied until twelve?” Liz enjoyed being able to make Dan laugh.

“Eh it can wait. See you around, Liz!”

When she hung up she was beaming with excitement. Things were turning around for her at last.

 


	6. Chapter 6

“I think it's time for 'next time on Game Grumps,'” Dan giggled as Arin seethed in anger. Arin slumped into the couch, dropping his head back as Dan turned off the recording.

“I am never going to beat this game,” Arin sighed, raking a hand down his face. “And ya know? I'm okay with that.”

“Sure you are, buddy.” The guys left the recording room to grab a quick snack in the kitchen. Arin pulled a bottle of water out of the fridge and offered one to Dan, who accepted with a smile.

“Me and Suzy are going to the movies tonight,” Arin said after taking a swig. “Do you wanna come with?”

“I'll have to take a rain check on that,” Dan replied. “I have plans later.” Arin was giving him a strange look, like he suspected something.“What?”

“What kind of plans?”

“I dunno yet. I was thinking about heading over to 16 Bit.”

“Oh yeah? What's her name?” Across the room at her desk, Suzy perked up at the question.

“Liz.”

Suzy smiled and joined them in the kitchen.

“So how'd you meet Liz?” she asked, exchanging knowing smiles with Arin.

“She moved into the building a couple weeks ago and uh... we ran into each other on the stairs.” Ross was coming out of the bathroom and was going to head back into his office, but grinned devilishly as he overheard their conversation.

“Please tell me you mean that literally,” he said as he sat down with them.

“Well technically she ran into me,” Dan clarified. “She was carrying a box and I kinda scared her and made her fall--”

“Dan, you didn't offer to carry the box for her?!” Suzy interrupted, scolding him.

“I offered but she wouldn't wouldn't let me!” Dan's hands were raised defensively as if trying to shield himself from Suzy's rage.

“Oh, I see. She's a strong independent woman who don't need no man.”

“Yeah, but she needs a _Dan_ ,” Arin said. Everyone groaned as he smiled proudly at his own joke.

“Yeah, well, she wouldn't have needed to take the stairs if _someone_ \--” Dan glared pointedly at Ross “-- didn't break the elevator!”

* * *

“Ross, would you stop touching my butt?”

“It's not me, Dan.”

“Well whoever it is please stop, your hand is very cold.”

“Sorry.” Arin took a step aside and Ross and Dan burst out laughing. Between them and Brian, Suzy, and Barry, the elevator was packed. The group had been hanging out in Barry and Dan's apartment upstairs and were heading out for dinner.

“How about Steak 'n Shake?” Suzy suggested.

“Sure but it makes me gassy,” warned Arin.

“More than usual?!” Dan looked at Arin in horror. “I'm not taking any chances.”

“What about Wendy's?” asked Brian. Arin's eyes lit up but Suzy shook her head.

“Arin and I already ate there three times this week.”

“So let's make it four!”

“I'm with Suzy,” Barry said. “We need a little variety. How about-- Ross, what are you doing?”

For the past two floors, Ross had been jumping on the elevator with extreme exaggeration. Barry's question caught him mid-squat.

“He's jumping right when the elevator starts to go past each floor,” Brian explained. “Each time he jumps just as the elevator begins to accelerate downwards, resulting in a higher jump and longer landing time, therefore giving the illusion of a lower force of gravity.”

“Nah,” Ross shook his head. “I'm just trying to see if I can break the elevator.”

All at once everyone clamored for the elevator doors but Brian-- shouting “Nope!” the entire time-- was the only one fast enough to slip out before Ross hit the close door button.

“Oh come on, guys! I was just kidding! Brian was right, if you jump at just the right time it feels like you're floating!” There was a look of childlike glee in Ross's eyes that pulled everyone in. “Try it at least once, then you can kick me out if you want.”

The remaining guys looked at Suzy, who shrugged.

“I guess one jump won't hurt.”

“Okay I'm ready!” Dan squatted low to the ground, hands together as if he were about to perform an Olympic dive.

“That's it, Dan!” Ross cheered. “C'mon guys, don't half-ass it!” Barry, Suzy, and Arin got down low too, smiling despite their reservations. “Okay, on three. One... two... THREE!”

All five of them jumped in perfect synchronicity. Suzy's hair whipped Barry in the face. Dan jumped a little too high and hit his head on the ceiling. Ross flung his arms out as he jumped, catching Arin right in the gut. As they came back down they burst into laughter.

“That was amazing!” Barry shouted. “I can't believe I've never done that before!”

“We have to do it again!” Arin said, eyes glittering with excitement.

Barry had opened his mouth to speak but before any words could come out there was a loud squeal. “Um, guys?”

The elevator shuddered as the squealing grew louder, accompanied by a low groaning. There was a sudden drop and everyone began screaming. Suzy grabbed onto Arin's hand as he grabbed one of the support rails inside.

“Ross, what the fuck?!” Dan screamed over the grating metal. The elevator skidded to a halt and Barry desperately smashed the open door button. The doors blinked open and what they revealed made everyone inside moan.

The control panel inside said they were on the first floor. However, this was only a fourth true. The doors had opened fully but there was only about two feet of space above where they could actually see the first floor. The rest of the elevator was stuck in a sub-space below the apartment building. There was a moment of stunned silence before everyone turned on Ross.

“Goddammit Ross!!!”

“Dude what the _fuck_ \--”

“Oh my god I think I shit myself.”

Suzy took a step away from Arin.

A pair of feet coming towards them temporarily broke up the fight.

“Hello?” Barry called out hopefully. “Hello, can you call the police, or the fire department please?”

“Please help us!” Suzy cried out. “The elevator is stuck!”

The person the feet belonged to squatted down and Brian peered down at them.

“I called the police as soon as I got on the stairs. Hope you can afford the fee, Ross.” A collective groan rippled through the elevator. Dan ran his fingers through his hair before making a grimace in disgust.

“Arin, did you really--?”

“Yeah dude.”

* * *

Ross rolled around on the floor, laughing so hard that tears of joy flooded down his face. His three friends were less enthused.

“I’m so proud of myself!” Ross cried as he wiped his eyes. “That was easily my greatest accomplishment in my entire life. And hey, if I hadn’t broken that elevator then you never would’ve met Liz!” As much as Dan hated to admit it, Ross had a point. Not that he’d tell _him_ that, of course.

“I gotta go meet Liz, see you guys later! Arin, I’ll text you about the movie.”

“Okay, love you!”

“Love you too!” The two men blew air kisses at each other until Dan disappeared from view.

Ross began to snicker.

“Man, I can’t believe you shit yourself.”

"Shut the fuck up, Ross."

* * *

 

Liz paced nervously around her apartment until it was time to meet Dan downstairs.

 _I really need to get out of the house more often. Meeting up with a… friend? Shouldn’t make me this anxious_. She glanced over her appearance in the bathroom mirror. Liz had left her long blond hair down in a simple style. She frequently thought about dying it something crazy colored. Maybe that’s something else she’d try. She had no idea of what to expect from the afternoon so she tried to be relatively practical. It was early March so she pulled on a light gray sweater over a black tank top, but since the LA weather tended to be a little on the warmer side she had a pair of shorts on as well. If she got too hot she could easily take off the sweater. A sensible pair of sneakers made her feel prepared for anything the afternoon might throw at her.

Once 10:50 hit she couldn’t put it off any longer. Each step she took down the stairs made her feel like her heart was about to jump out of her chest. As she finally got to the lobby she felt like her knees were going to give out underneath her.

When she saw Dan leaning casually next to the door, she felt a warm rush wash over her. He seemed so at peace with himself. He wore a leather jacket over a band t-shirt and a pair of lightly distressed jeans. A light five o’clock shadow gave away the fact that he needed a new razor. Dan looked up from his phone and his face absolutely lit up when he saw Liz.

He couldn’t help but to admire her legs. They weren’t very long, but they were surprisingly toned. He noticed she had taken the stairs, maybe she always does? And her cheeks had such a lovely pink glow to them. Dan idly wondered how much of it came from makeup. His eyes moved down to her lips and saw how full and soft they seemed and--

They were moving. They were moving, and had been for a while. Liz’s brows furrowed in confusion as she waved a hand in his face.

“Dan? I said, ‘I hope I didn’t keep you waiting for too long.'” Dan shook himself out of his reverie.

“No, I haven’t been waiting long at all! I actually just got in from work.”

Liz looked him over skeptically. _What kinda job does he have where he gets to go in looking like that?_

“Are you hungry? I was thinking we could grab a quick lunch.”

“Sounds good to me,” Liz replied. _Maybe that’s why my stomach feels like it’s in knots. I’m just hungry._ “What did you have in mind?”

Dan paused for a moment in thought.

“Do you like Wendy’s?”

“Oh my god,” Liz moaned. “I fucking _love_ the baconator fries.”

Dan couldn’t help laughing at her response.

“Then let’s go get you some!” He held the door open for her as they headed out to the parking lot.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, lovelies! Thank you so much for all of your support through hits, kudos, and comments. Without you I probably would have quit already but now I've got so many ideas and so many plans that I can't wait to share with you! I also wanted to give you a heads up about an update schedule I'm going to put in place, starting this week. Work is picking up for me so I'm not going to have as much free time to write so I'm aiming for updating bi-weekly; once on Mondays and again on Fridays.   
> Thanks again!


	7. Chapter 7

The urge to drool was downright overwhelming. A beautifully golden mountain of fries lay before Liz, smothered in a molten pool of cheese. Crispy bacon crumbles and green onion slices cascaded down the mound of spuds.

“Dan,” Liz said as they sat down, “I sincerely apologize for what's about to come out of my mouth.”

Dan tilted his head. “What are you--”

“Ohhh you are gonna  _get it_ , you cheesy bitch” Liz moaned as she stabbed a fry with her plastic fork.

Dan nearly choked on his chicken tender.

“Oh  _yes_.” Liz’s eyes fluttered shut in ecstasy. Dan was shaking with laughter.

“You act like you’ve never had them before!”

“Oh I’ve tasted the forbidden fruit. It’s just been a very long time,” Liz mumbled through a mouthful. She covered her mouth while she was talking so Dan wouldn’t see a disgusting display. She didn’t want to seem like a  _complete_ animal.

“How come? Wendy’s are pretty much everywhere.”

“Yeah um, my ex didn’t want me to eat a lot of fast food.” Liz put down her fork in exchange for a sip of Coke. She cursed herself for bringing up the sensitive topic.

“What a dick,” Dan said bluntly.

“Yeah, you know what? You’re right,” Liz fervently agreed. “He really was a dick. That’s not even the worst of it.” Dan looked at her expectantly, chin resting in his hand. “Ah, I don’t want to go too far into it today, if that’s okay?”

“Of course! It’s not my business at all. Feel free to correct me if I’m wrong,” he said, leaning back in his chair slightly, “but it seems like you don’t really have anyone to talk to around here. You seemed to be on a bit of a roll so I didn’t want to stop you. Talking about your problems can be really therapeutic.”

“I do have a habit of holding things in,” she confessed to herself more than to him. Now that she thought about it, she wondered if that was something she did before she met Allen or if that was a coping mechanism she developed. “How much does a therapy session with Doctor Dan cost?”

“I’d say an order of chicken fingers per hour should cover it,” he replied with a wink. Liz tried to pretend that it was just the baconator fries that made her heart stop.

“So, I’m assuming that Wendy’s wasn’t all you had planned?” Liz asked as they cleared away their trash and pushed their chairs back in. Dan placed a hand over his heart, feigning hurt.

“Are you tired of me already?”

“Oh I’m  _so_  sick of your ugly mug,” she giggled. “Just sick to death!”

“Okayyy, guess you’re gonna have to find someone else to take you to the museum then.”

“Museum?”

Dan paused, about to open the car door. “Yeah, is that okay? We can go somewhere else if you want.”

“No that sounds great! What kind of museum is it?”

“Natural history, so fossils, gemstones, that sort of thing.”

“Ooh I love gemstones!” Seeing the way Liz’s eyes lit up made Dan give himself a mental high-five.

“Which one’s your favorite?”

“Oh that’s not a fair question,” Liz griped. “I.. I can’t pick just one. Although I really love the ones that are iridescent. Seeing all those shifty colors… They just make me all happy inside,” she confessed with a giggle. “What are your favorite exhibits?”

“Oh the dinosaurs no doubt,” Dan replied a little too quickly.

“Okay I see,” Liz glanced sideways at him. “You were gonna come here whether or not it was with me, weren’t you?”

“....Maybe.” Dan looked like he’d been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

“Can’t say I blame you,” Liz shrugged.

* * *

 

Liz had been bouncing her leg in the car the entire way there. Dan thought she was really excited, which she was, but she also  _really_ had to pee. Those large drinks have no business looking that good. She tried to play it cool but as Dan was agonizingly careful in his parking Liz was tempted to just jump out of the car. The moment he took the keys out of the ignition she jerked her seat belt off.

“Gotta piss,” she explained, hurriedly handing her drink to him as she bolted up the stairs to the museum. Dan held the drink in shock for a moment before shrugging and following her up the stairs, though at a much more leisurely pace. He decided to go ahead and pay for their admission while he waited for her. He’d just sat down at a nearby bench when --

“What the fuck, you got Wendy’s without me?!” Arin’s eagle eyed gaze zeroed in quickly on the cup in Dan’s hand. Suzy waved to Dan as she paid the admission fee. Liz came out of the bathroom, looking very confused by the shouting.

“Arin, Suzy, this is Liz,” Dan said through clenched teeth, shooting a pointed stare at Arin. “Liz, these are my friends Arin and Suzy.”

“Oh…” he whispered as Suzy elbowed him lightly.

“Hi, Liz!” Suzy waved. “It’s nice to meet you!”

“Uh, hi, nice to meet you too.” Liz went to the bathroom for two minutes tops and came back to a group of people. Dan was a social butterfly for sure.

“So, what you guys here for?” Surprisingly, Dan seemed a little uncomfortable. Liz didn’t do great with strangers, but why would Dan be flustered around his friends?

“There’s some new moths in the insect exhibit I really wanted to see,” Suzy gushed. “I was hoping to get some inspiration for my taxidermy.”

“You do insect taxidermy?” Curiosity overtook Liz’s anxiety for a moment.

“Yeah, I think it’s really fun to come up with different ways to frame them and bring out their natural beauty.”

“That’s sounds really cool! I’d love to see your work sometime,” Liz found herself saying. She was even more surprised when she realized she meant it.

“Totally! You should come over sometime.”

“I’d love to!” Arin winked at Dan as the two women exchanged phone numbers.

“Okay, see you guys later!” Suzy waved as she took her husband by the arm and led him to the insect exhibit.

“So, gems first?” Dan asked Liz, who nodded so hard her head could have fallen off.

Liz had to resist the temptation to press her nose against the glass like a child in a candy store. It was an appropriate comparison too; the glittering gems came in such a variety of shapes and colors that it made Dan crave Skittles.

“Hey Dan, wanna know what's cool about these?” Liz said with a sweep of her arm, gesturing to a wide expanse of display cases.

“What's cool about these?”

“They're all technically the same type of gem.”

“Wait, really?” The hues ranged from blues to yellows to pinks. There's no way they were all the same thing. Dan got closer to the case next to Liz.

“Yeah! They're all beryls, but different levels of minerals affect the colors. This one is heliodor,” she said, pointing to a sunshine yellow gem. “Its color comes from iron impurities. Then these are all aquamarines.” There was a gorgeous assortment of precious stones in varying shades of blue. One closer to Liz was a deep teal, like the bottom of the sea. “I like this one. It's like a little ocean drop.”

“I think this one's my favorite.” Dan pointed to one so barely blue it was like a whisper of the sky.

“It's nice,” Liz agreed. “It kinda reminds me of a piece of ice, or a glacier.”

“Nice as ice, huh?” Dan gently nudged her with his elbow.

“Smooth, Dan. Smooth.”

“Not as smooth as you, Miss Poet.”

Liz rolled her eyes, laughing. She jumped in excitement when she noticed a particular display. “Oh, Dan you've gotta see this!” She grabbed him by the hand and dragged him over to a case labeled “Alexandrite.” “Watch this!”

“Okay,” Dan chuckled. The display was relatively simple, containing fuchsia gems under incandescent lighting. While it was very pretty, it was also pretty underwhelming. Dan looked down at Liz and saw that she could hardly stand still due to her excitement. He smirked. At least she was enjoying--

“WOAH!” He exclaimed, thoughts completely interrupted as the lighting shifted slightly and suddenly all the gems turned into a dark teal with deep green undertones. “How did they do that?!” He craned his neck to look at the lighting and didn't see any filters, though he did notice there were different types of light bulbs.

“The different types of lighting change the way our eyes perceive the color!” Liz explained, pointing to the sign next to her as she practically danced in excitement. “'Daylight and fluorescent lighting contains high proportions of blue and green light and incandescent lighting contains a higher balance of red light,'” she read. “'When the light is balanced-- daylight--, the stone is green but when the light source is reddish --incandescent--, the stone appears red. Human vision is more sensitive to green light. Alexandrite reflects both green and red light. In daylight, a greater proportion of green light is reflected so we see green. Conversely, under incandescent light more red light is reflected so we see red.'”

“Okay that's cool as hell!”

Liz proudly beamed up at him.

“I'm just a huge rock nerd,” she laughed. “C'mon, there's plenty of museum left.” Dan had grabbed some brochures at the beginning with maps inside and they took a moment to consult them. Dan hummed to himself while looking for the prehistoric exhibits. Liz discreetly peeked at him while pretending to check the map. He'd shaved recently, his jawline clean and strong. She noticed for the first time that there was a small dimple in his chin, and his lips looked surprisingly soft for a man. Did he use lip balm?

“...So if we cut through here it'll take us to the prehistoric area.”

Liz forced herself to focus and followed the path his slender finger had traced on the map. The undersea exhibit was next to them and just as he said, shortly after was the prehistoric exhibit.

The lighting for the undersea section had slowly changed to deep shades of blue, dappling the floor as if they were under the ocean's surface. There was a sound machine somewhere that added to the immersion and Liz paused for a moment, losing herself in the crashing of the waves. Dan didn't notice right away, but when he turned to talk to her saw her standing a few feet back, looking at a replication of underwater life.

“Do you ever think the ocean is kind of scary?”

“You have  _no_  idea,” Dan laughed. “The ocean fucking terrifies me.”

“Oh yeah? The ocean in general or--?”

“Sharks. Fucking sharks, man.”

“I probably shouldn't tell you to look up then, huh?”

They both looked up and saw a giant set of jaws from a megalodon. Danny swore loudly and started running towards the end of the exhibit.

“Fuck you, Liz!”

Liz dissolved into laughter, unable to hold herself together.


	8. Chapter 8

It's not often that Dan felt dwarfed by anything, but as he and Liz stood beneath the assembled skeleton of a pterodactyl he felt very small indeed.

“Dude I can't believe we're from the same planet,” he said in awe. “Like, we look so fucking different, but here we are.”

“Aliens will be so confused,” Liz mused. “Do you have a favorite?”

“Alien?”

“No,” she laughed. “Dinosaur.”

“Oh!”

Liz could literally see the realization hit his face and laughed again.

“Yeah, let me show you who it is!” He took her hand, and began expertly navigating around columns and displays with the confidence of someone who'd been there many, many times. He suddenly stopped short and Liz nearly crashed into him. “There he is!”

Liz was faced with quite possibly the biggest thing she'd ever seen in her life. The model was taller than a fully grown bear and the length of this thing... The sign she read said this exact figure was twenty-eight feet long, or four feet longer than a full grown bull African elephant. And yet, despite its size and rows of large, scaly plates running down its back, there was something peaceful about the creature.

 

“Did you know people used to think Stegosaurus had two brains?” Dan said excitedly. “There's this cavity in the tail that scientists thought could've held a second brain.”

“He must've been pretty smart.”

“Nah, they're pretty sure it was for something to do with blood regulation now. Plus, stego was stupid as fuck.”

“Dan!”

“Well look at how big his head is! How big do you think his brain is?”

Liz tilted her head to the side. The dinosaur's head was actually pretty small in comparison with the rest of its body. “I'm guessing not very big at all.”

“Dude it was the size of a walnut! A _walnut_!”

“Maybe you should stop screaming about nuts,” Liz whispered as they watched a woman pull her child a little closer to her. Dan flushed while looking away and trying to act cool.

“Let’s go look at someone else!” he said a little loudly.

“Not helping,” Liz whisper giggled, but she followed him to another exhibit anyway. “Okay, what the _fuck_ is that?”

For a second Liz thought they’d strayed into the ocean section again, but a closer look at the models and illustrations proved otherwise. The creature in question looked… interesting. It was shark-like enough to make Dan uncomfortable, and had some extreme dentistry. Actually, it looked pretty normal until you got to the lower jaw which curled outward and under into itself, creating a strange vortex of teeth.

“It says here that this is a… helicoprion?” Dan suddenly snorted. “Okay so _that_ is one idea on how it probably looked. Come look at these other illustrations.” Liz peeked around him and dissolved into laughter. While still being quite sharky, the terrifying tooth whorl had been replaced by what appeared to be half of a circular saw.

“Oh my god, it looks like someone just fucking glued a wheel to his chin,” Liz snickered. “I guess prehistoric plastic surgeons were still getting the hang of things.”

“I think you mean, plastic _sturgeon._ ”

Liz slowly looked up at Dan.

“That’s one of the best puns I’ve ever heard in my life,” she whispered in awe.

Dan bowed deeply, hair nearly brushing the floor. His modesty was false, but the smile on his face was genuinely pleased.

“Thank you, thank you. Now can we please get back to terra firma? This is seriously giving me the creeps,” he confessed.

“Terra firma?” Liz asked as they neared a tropical display. “Okay, Doctor Dan. So how long have you wanted to be a paleontologist?”

“Oh man, since I could want to be anything!” Dan ran a hand through his dark, curly hair. “I was obsessed with dinosaurs, especially my man stego.” He winked at the dino in the distance.

“I’m guessing you’re not, though?” Liz thought about the paleontologists she knew from pop culture. Allen Grant? Nice. Ross Gellar? Ugh.

“Nah, I had to set that dream aside for health reasons.”

“Health reasons?” Liz repeated with a quizzical look.

“Yeah, so I don’t have fully functioning sweat glands,” Dan replied casually. “So a career spending countless hours in the open sun wouldn’t have been the best idea. Heat stroke is _not_ a good look.”

“That… that kinda sucks.”

Dan looked at her in mild surprise.

“I mean, that was a dream of yours, right? I bet you dug in your backyard all the time when you were a kid.”

“You’re not wrong,” Dan chuckled. “My mom probably has pictures somewhere.”

They wandered over to a section labeled “Living Dinosaurs,” which included life sized figures of current reptiles and even birds. A powerful Komodo Dragon reminded Liz of a story from her own childhood.

“Were you ever allowed to have pets as a kid?” She asked, seemingly out of the blue.

“Oh yeah, we had dogs like all the time. You?”

“I wish! My parents hated animals, or maybe just the added responsibility of them. I would _beg_ for a pet, any kind. Dog, cat, fish, didn’t matter.” Liz looked wistfully at the komodo dragon. “So one day I took matters into my own hands. You know those little green lizards that run all over the place?”

Dan looked at her, then to the giant lizard, then back to her. “You didn’t--”

“So I went outside one day after school to find one. It was really sunny so they were all stretched out like everywhere, just soaking it up like--” Liz flung her arms out and leaned her head back with closed eyes, pretending to bask in the sun herself. “I found them easily enough, but they were so fucking fast! And I was so scared to grab them because I didn’t want to hurt them. Coincidentally, this is _also_ the day I found out they can detach their tails as a defense mechanism.”

“But you got one?”

“I got one! I was so excited when I brought him inside. I had taken like a quart sized jar and filled it up with leaves and grass and stuff. I was so confident I’d made the perfect little home for him,” she laughed. “It was only after I dropped him inside I realized he didn’t have any water. I had an bottle of Pepsi nearby--”

“Liz, I’m all about the amazing taste of Pepsi but I don’t recommend serving it to our scaly friends.”

“I didn’t give him Pepsi, dork.” They exchanged grins before she continued. “I rinsed off the bottle cap and put water inside it. I pulled him out first so I didn’t spill any on him but I was holding him by the tail....”

“Oh no.”

“Oh yes. The motherfucker dropped himself from his tail and fucking disappeared on me.”

“Oh no!” Dan wiped away tears of mirth. “Did you ever find him?!”

“Yeah like a week later!” She cried. “Scared the shit out of my mom when she found him chilling next to her face cream in the morning.”

“She opens the medicine cabinet and he’s there with sunglasses like, ‘Sup?'"

“Pretty much! I had to run in and let him outside before she hurt him. She really hated little critters.”

“I had pet lizards at one point too. Their names were Lizzy and Lizell.”

Liz unsuccessfully tried to cover up a snort. “That’s _so_ original.”

“Give me a fucking break, I was a kid!” Dan said defensively. “What was _your_ lizard’s name?”

Liz stopped laughing instantly.

“...Liz.”

“Oh my fucking god, at least I didn’t name mine after myself!”

“Hey, we were name buddies!”

“Whatever, _Lizard_ ,” Dan snickered.

“Whatever, _Danny_ ,” she said in an equally mocking tone, but both were unable to keep the smiles at bay.

“Attention guests; the museum will be closing tonight in fifteen minutes. Please take your time to finish your trip, and be sure to stop by the gift shop on your way out!” The chipper voice on the speakers interrupted them.

“Did you wanna go to the gift shop?” Dan asked.

“Sure! I’m a sucker for gift shops,” Liz confided. “I’m a bit of a shopaholic.”

“So don’t let you walk out with the giant amethyst geode. Got it.”

“They have geodes?”

And indeed they did, though the giant one was so expensive that Liz wasn’t nearly as tempted.  It was half her size and so pretty and sparkly, but it wasn’t worth the triple figure asking price.

_Maybe one day._

There was a smaller pile of more affordable geodes nestled in a basket nearby and she enjoyed digging around like she was looking for treasure.

“Ooh look at this bismuth, Dan!” She held up a geode about two inches wide, nearly perfectly round. The face of it was chipped away to reveal a beautifully iridescent array of repeating cubes.

“Woah…”

Liz tilted the rock slightly and they stared in awe as the geometric pattern shifted in color from golden to blue to purple.

“You’re coming home with me, sexy.”

“Well since you asked so nicely…” Liz pretended not to blush as she playfully swatted Dan on the arm.

“I’m gonna go pay for this, did you see anything you wanted?”

“I dunno yet but I’ll meet you there.”

As Liz waited in line she noticed some dinosaur figures near the register. There was the T Rex of course, and a velociraptor. She perked up a little when she saw the stegosaurus standing nearby and had to add it to her purchase. When she was done she saw Dan getting cashed out at the next register.

“So what’d you get?” She tried to peek into Dan’s shopping bag as they walked back to the car.

“Something.”

“And there we go, my curiosity is satisfied.”

“Does the sarcasm ever turn off?” Dan laughed.

“If it does then I’m probably dead,” Liz replied with a shrug.

They buckled up once in the car and Dan put the key in the ignition, stretching his arm across the back of Liz’s seat as he reversed out of the parking space.

“Sorry, be done in a sec.”

“No problem.” Liz tried to ignore the acute burning she felt in her face.

The car ride back to their apartment building was relatively quiet but it wasn’t an uncomfortable silence. Occasionally something they saw or heard on the radio would spark a brief conversation before they fell back into amiable silence. The elevator ride was similar.

“Well, here’s my stop,” Liz said as she stepped out.

“Can I walk you to your door?”

“Oh. Sure.” She didn’t expect him to ask that. When was the last time Allen had done that when they were dating? Sure they ended up living together, but even before then… The memory was hard to find.

Liz hesitated when it came to entering her apartment. She knew the kinds of implications there would be if she invited him inside, and as much as she enjoyed their time together, she wasn’t ready for that with anyone. There was also the whole “no furniture” thing that she wasn’t exactly proud of.

She clutched the handle of her shopping bag tightly.

“I really had a lot of fun today. Thanks for showing me around,” she managed to say. “Um, I also grabbed this for you earlier.” She pulled out the stegosaurus and held it out to him.

Dan burst out laughing.

Liz had to fight the urge to cry.

“Okay if you don’t want it that’s fine--” Liz began to turn away and unlock her door.

“No, wait!”

Liz heard the crinkling of plastic and when she turned around, Dan was holding out a small, brightly colored bean bag lizard.

“I got something for you too!”

“Oh, oh my gosh I love it!” Liz left out a breath of relief as they exchanged trinkets. “Wait, you shouldn’t be buying me things.”

“Says the person who did it first.”

“No, really.” Liz frowned. “You already bought the tickets when I was in the bathroom, and thank you but I don’t feel good about accepting so much from someone I barely know so soon.”

“Liz, do you think I’m going to hold this over you?” Dan’s expression became serious, she noticed, but not angry. She had forgotten that it was possible to be one and not the other at the same time. “I wanted to get the tickets, and I wanted to buy a souvenir. That’s on me. You didn’t make me do anything I didn’t want to do.”

This stumps Liz for a moment.

“And if you’re concerned about the cost, then you can pay for whatever we do next time, if you wanna hang out again. It’s totally up to you. And these?” He held up the mini dino. “Pretty sure these cost the same so they cancel each other out.” He carefully put his new figurine into the shopping bag and set it on the ground before gently placing his hands on her shoulders. “Liz, I like to do nice things for people that I like. But if that makes you uncomfortable, then I’ll give you space. You set the pace for how things go, okay?”

Liz’s throat ached and her eyes stung with unshed tears.

“Okay,” she finally said, taking a deep breath to steady herself. “But I’m not gonna let you pay for everything all the time. You did miss out on that giant paleontologist’s salary.”

“Hey, whatever you want,” he chuckled. “Though I could totally swing it if I wanted to. I do okay.”

“What _do_ you do?” Liz realized she hadn’t ask him yet.

“Oh, I play, uh, video games with my friend Arin. The one we ran into earlier? And I’m also in a comedy band with another friend.” He ruffled his hair as if slightly embarrassed.

“Video games for a living? You are out here living the dream, Danny. I’m stuck at 7-11 pretending I’m married so that assholes will stop hitting on me.”

“Does it work?”

“Eh, it’s about fifty-fifty.” Liz shrugged with a smirk. “Speaking of which, I have an early start tomorrow so I’d better try to get a head start on some sleep. “And thanks again, for today and for um, what you said earlier. It really means a lot to me.” She reached up to the hand that still rested on her shoulder and squeezed it gently.

“You’re welcome, Lizard.” Dan winked.

 


	9. Chapter 9

“I’m coming!!!” Liz was in the middle of restocking the beer cave in the back of the store when she heard the doorbell ring. She was the only one working the shift and came sprinting to help the customer, and to make sure they didn’t steal anything.

Mainly the second one.

She was surprised to see Suzy.

Suzy looked equally surprised, halfway through pouring a cherry slushie.

“Liz! So this is where you work?” She smiled.

“Unfortunately, it is,” Liz sighed. “Is cherry your favorite?”

“Nah, this one is for Arin. I like the Coke one.”

“Ooh, mix the cherry and the Coke together. Sooo good.”

“Okay, that _does_ sound good.” Suzy grabbed a cup for herself and carefully mixed the two slushies. “Like this?”

“Yeah just make sure you stir it a little with your straw so you get the flavors together.”

Suzy did as Liz instructed and took a tentative sip. Her eyes lit up.

“Oh my gosh, Liz!!! This is so good! You’re like a master mixologist!”

Liz blushed. “I wouldn’t say that… but you can if you want to.”

“Hey, are you doing anything later?” Suzy asked as they walked to the register. “I have some new insects I’m gonna mount today, if you were still interested in seeing how I do it?”

_Holy shit a friend date. Play it cool._

“I’ll be here a couple more hours and I’ll need a shower, but after that I’m totally open!”

“Cool, I’ll text you my address. Just let me know when you’re on the way.” Suzy managed to wave without dropping the two slushies before she left.

* * *

Liz double checked she had the right address before pulling into the driveway. She nervously tucked a still slightly damp strand of hair behind her ear. _Deep breaths, Liz. You’re just hanging out with someone. You weren’t this nervous with Dan._

Liz hesitated before ringing the doorbell, hand suspended in the air.

_I wasn’t this nervous with Dan._

Before she put any more thought into that, the front door suddenly opened.

“Hi, Liz! I saw you pulling up. Come in!” Suzy stepped back to let Liz in.

Liz was shocked for a moment to see a house so tidy, and nicely designed. There were various geek elements scattered throughout, such as figures on the mantel from various TV shows and above was an array of video game weapons. Liz quickly spotted the Master Sword. Sure, there was a stray blanket on the couch, but it was so cozy. Liz noticed a pillow was also on the floor and a very fat, very fluffy cat lay on top.

“Kitty!”

“That’s Mochi,” Suzy giggled.

“Does he like to be petted? And is he a he?”

“Yes, and yes.” Almost as if he were listening, Mochi rolled over, exposing an even larger amount of fluff.

“Oh my gosh.” Liz couldn’t help herself and immediately ran her hands through his fur. “He’s so soft!!! And his legs are so short!!!”

“That’s because he’s a Munchkin,” Suzy said as she petted Mochi. “They’re like the weiner dogs of the cat kingdom.” Mochi purred loudly, not caring that he’d been compared to a dog.

“Sorry, I’m being super rude,” Liz apologized as she stood up. “I’m the kind of weirdo who goes to someone’s house and just hangs out with the animals the whole time.”

“Don’t feel bad! I’m totally the same way. We can just stay here and pet Moch if you want.”

“No, I promise I do really want to see your work!”

“Okay, my office is this way.” Liz snuck in one last pet before following Suzy.

“Wow…” Liz muttered as she took in the room. It was meticulously organized, but also decorated with various taxidermies of the past.

“Not just insects huh?” Liz asked as she inspected some kind of bird skull. It had been painted an antique gold and was adorned with gears of varying sizes and complementary colors. “I like the steampunk aesthetic here, that’s pretty cool!”

“Thanks! I like incorporating different styles,” Suzy said over her shoulder, digging in a cabinet for supplies. “Obviously goth is my favorite, but I like anything that’s a challenge.”

Suzy spread out a few packets of insects on the worktable before them. Each was carefully packaged and marked with where it was found and where. A particular butterfly caught Liz’s eye and she reached out to touch it.

Its upper wings were a lovely deep black while its lower wings transitioned into a bright blue in the shape of a crescent moon. Cream colored spots boarded the wings, providing some contrast.

“I used to see this butterfly all the time in my grandpa’s garden,” Liz said fondly. Suzy double checked the tag.

“A Spicebush Swallowtail? These are popular in the eastern US. Where did you move here from?”

“Mississippi.”

“You don’t have much of an accent, but I don’t either.”

“Where are you from?”

“Florida.”

The two women burst into giggles.

“I know, I’m super pale for here and back home,” Suzy said with a laugh.

“Ah, who cares,” Liz waved her hand. “You’ve got the spirit right?”

“That’s right! Is that the one you wanna work on?”

“ _Me?_ I thought I was here to watch you?”

“Oh no,” Suzy laughed. “If you wanna see how the sausage gets made then you’re gonna get your hands dirty.”

“Then yep, I guess this is me.”

“Plus then you get a little souvenir of our time together!” Suzy smiled and it was infectious. “Here, I’ve got a few different frames to choose from, too.”

Liz hummed happily as they looked through frames together, surprising herself when she realized she was doing it.

“So what brought you from Mississippi?”

“What brought you from Florida?”

“Arin. You?”

“Allen. My ex boyfriend.”

Suzy shot her a sidelong glance but was silent for a moment.

“We lived further inland but we broke up so I came down here.” Liz tried to keep the tension out of her voice as she sorted through different paper backgrounds.

“We don’t have to talk about anything you don’t want to,” Suzy said softly. “It wasn’t just Arin that made me move. The guy I was dating before was abusive.”

Liz stopped, slowly looking at Suzy. How could someone hurt her? Someone who’d claimed to love her and swear to protect her? True, Liz didn’t know her very well but Suzy seemed so sweet. She couldn’t possibly deserve that.

“I’m pretty sure I know what you’re thinking. ‘How could someone do that?’” Suzy said calmly as she continued her work. “Or, ‘why would you stay?’”

“N-no I get it,” Liz said quickly. “I-- um, me too. That happened to me too. I… Allen abused me.” She took a deep breath. “Wow, that’s the first time I’ve actually said that out loud.”

“Do you need a hug?” Suzy offered.

“If you don’t mind,” Liz said with a shaky laugh. Suzy smiled warmly and gently wrapped her arms around Liz.

“It’s okay,” she said. “You can let it out.”

Liz hadn’t realized she was crying.

“Ugh, I’m so sorry,” she said, pulling away. “This is supposed to be ‘fun chill time with a new friend’ and instead I’m a soggy mess.”

“Hey, you went through something really rough. And you moved out here by yourself? That takes a lot of guts, Liz! You’re a tough chick!”

“Thanks, Suzy.” Liz smiled as she wiped her eyes.

“No problem. Now where were we?”

Liz had just settled on a background when--

“Damn it, I’m out of pins. How did that happen?” Suzy dug through a drawer but didn’t find what she was looking for. “I must’ve run out before my backorder could get here…. We can’t taxidermize these cuties if we don’t have any pins. Are you up for a little shopping trip?”

“I’ve got no plans other than hanging out with you, and a spontaneous shopping spree sounds good to me!”

Liz learned that Suzy had a taste for the strange and macabre, a refreshing change from what she was used to. Creatures that creeped Liz out made Suzy squeal in delight.

“He's so cute!” Suzy cooed over a pink toed tarantula, frozen mid-attack as she paid for her supplies.

“Nuh uh,” Liz shuddered. “Anything with more than six legs makes my skin crawl. Maybe Allen had some extra legs I didn't know about.”

Suzy laughed.

“No, really!” Liz cried, laughing despite herself before growing solemn. “When I think about the way he used to touch me, that he touched me at all now... It makes me want to just shed my skin. I want to burn all my clothes and cut off all my hair, or do _something_ drastic.”

“How drastic?” Suzy tilted her head in curiosity.

“Okay, maybe not 'cut off all my hair' drastic, but ya know... Something.” Liz shrugged. “I've never really done anything to my hair other than cut it into a bob a few times.”

“How do you feel about hair dye?”

“Um, depends on the color I guess?”

“Let's go look at some colors, and if you see something you like, I'll dye it for you!” Suzy said excitedly. “And if you don't see anything you want, then no big!”

“I guess it wouldn't hurt to just look,” Liz said slowly. “And my job doesn't have a policy against hair color, so why not?”

Suzy wasted no time in taking Liz to the nearest beauty supply store and ushering her to the hair color aisle. Liz lingered near the more natural colors and Suzy waited patiently, but couldn't hide her excitement when Liz got closer to the brighter colors.

“Okay, I'm warming up to this,” Liz said as she looked over the brightly colored swatches. She found herself drawn to the jewel tones. A rich teal caught her eye pretty quickly.

“That's a really good brand!” Suzy said. “My friend Holly uses it!”

It was relatively inexpensive, and Suzy had a membership card so they got a nice little discount.

“This is gonna look great on you,” the woman cashing them out gushed. “Your hair is so light, it'll take right to it!”

“Does it fade too badly?” Liz asked nervously. She had a mental flashback of summers in over-chlorinated pools turning her hair green.

“Not really! If you mix this with a deep conditioner you can keep it fresh pretty easily. You can find a lot of DIY stuff about it online,” the cashier assured her.

“Okay, thank you!”

Liz's confidence wavered again as she sat in Suzy's bathroom, old borrowed T shirt on, as Suzy stood nearby armed with a tint brush and bowl.

“Are you ready?”

Liz nodded. Suzy loaded up the brush, and approached Liz. The brush was about to touch the first section of her hair--

“Wait!”

Suzy stopped, just before the dye made contact.

“Second thoughts?”

“Not really... Maybe half-thoughts?” Liz said meekly. “I wanna do this but... but maybe not my whole head?”

“Okay, how much do you want to do? It's up to you.”

That was not a sentence she was used to hearing, especially so honestly. No hidden subtext, no hidden contract. Liz looked at herself in the bathroom mirror. She was pale enough to make the freckles across her nose stand out, and there were dark circles under her eyes. She wasn't sure how long they'd been there, but she couldn't remember a time without them. Concealer had been part of her makeup routine for a long time but usually on other parts of her body. Her hazel eyes seemed tired, but now that she looked a little harder, she could see something else. A glow, a strength inside she didn't know she had.

Suzy and Liz took a few minutes to scroll through some online photos for inspiration and once they settled on something they dove in.

“I thought hair dye was supposed to stink?” Liz said in surprise. They were about halfway finished and yet there were no fumes.

“Permanent hair dye usually does,” Suzy laughed. “But this is a semi-permanent dye so it's a lot gentler on your hair. That's why you can mix it with conditioner. Don't try that with permanent dye.”

“You know an awful lot about this stuff,” Liz said, quirking an eyebrow at Suzy. “Taxidermist by night, cosmetologist by day?”

“Sort of,” she shrugged. “I used to do a lot of modeling and I still love fashion, but I focus a lot more on my Etsy shop, which is where I sell my taxidermy and some jewelry. I also run a couple YouTube channels and I'm a secretary for Game Grumps.”

Liz stared at her blankly.

“What's Game Grumps?”

Suzy paused, unsure if Liz was being serious.

“It's the name of the show that Arin and Danny have on YouTube.”

“Game Grumps... Ohhh. See, Danny told me he played games with Arin but I just assumed they were play testers or something. But that’s pretty cool! I usually watch how-to videos or funny clips on YouTube but I’ll have to check them out sometime.”

Suzy smirked knowingly as she put the finishing touches on the ends of Liz’s hair.

“I hope you still have no other obligations because this bad boy needs to sit for a couple hours,” she said as she clipped Liz’s hair up and put a shower cap over it.

“You mean we’re not going out like this? I feel like I’m ready for a night at the opera!”

“If you want--”

“Kidding,” Liz said quickly, not wanting to test Suzy.

“Or we can finish up those butterflies?”

“Now _that_ I like.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Looks like once a week might be more realistic, since work is picking up a little more and I want to make sure the chapters I'm giving you are the best quality I can make.  
> Thank you for both your patience and continued support! Also, thanks for the kudos, I see you new readers! <3


	10. Chapter 10

Liz hummed to herself as she tossed her clothes into the washer she found herself using every time she came to the laundry room. Allen had texted her the day before, saying he’d gotten all the paperwork done without the need for actual paperwork. Modern technology was nice. She’d already mailed the check for her half of rent directly to the property manager and paid her half of the bills online, so all outside expenses were officially accounted for and taken care of. Now Liz was free to focus just on herself and take care of what she needed to. Which at the moment was having fun and getting her apartment furnished. She was sick of turkey sandwiches and sleeping on the floor.

The laundry room door beeped as someone used their key card.

“Hey, Danny!” Liz greeted cheerfully as she opened her newly purchased bag of Doritos from the vending machine.

“Hey, Liz!” Danny’s heart stopped when he fully looked at her.

She’d dyed her hair, and _damn_ it looked good.

He had a soft spot for blonds so he liked it before, but now that it was interwoven with his favorite color he couldn’t stop staring. A shade that could only be described as ultramarine wove itself through her blond hair like a ribbon made of the sea, fading to sky blue then blond at chin length. She’d braided a section of hair and wrapped it around as a headband, showing off the multiple layers of shading. The rest of her hair cascaded down her back in gentle waves.

“Dan?”

“Mermaid,” he blurted out.

“I-- what?” Liz raised an eyebrow at Dan, who turned bright pink.

“You look like a mermaid,” he said a little too loudly after clearing his throat. “Your hair looks really nice.”

“Oh, thank you!” Liz turned away to hide her blush and hopped up to sit on her washing machine. “For a second I thought we were just naming mythical creatures. I was gonna shout, ‘Unicorn!’”

“Ooh that's my favorite,” Dan said as he loaded the washer a few spaces from hers.

“They’re pretty, but they’re a dragon’s favorite snack,” Liz replied.

“Oh okay,” Dan laughed. “So your favorite is better than mine, huh?”

“I didn’t say that! But I’m willing to accept the fact you’ve brought to my attention.”

“I dunno, a unicorn’s magic can do wondrous things.”

“Oh, so your unicorn actually has powers and not just a random forehead growth?”

“How dare you!” Dan gasped, hand on his chest. “A unicorn’s horn is _not_ just a forehead growth.”

“Whatever. It’s such an unimaginative creature! ‘Hey, let’s glue a carrot to a horse and call it mythical!’” Liz grinned as Dan grew more upset.

“Uh, whatever Liz!!! A dragon is just a giant lizard! Oh that must have been sooo hard to come up with!”

“A giant lizard that can _fly and breathe fire!!!_ Some are elemental and their scales are super tough and they’re hoarders. They’re relatable.” Liz crossed her arms smugly.

“You’re just biased, Lizard.”

“Maybe.”

Dan chuckled.

“So your hair is all done up and you’re wearing not-sweatpants. Do you have plans later?”

Normally when they ran into each other here, Liz had her hair tossed into a bun, lucky if it had even been brushed. She threw on baggy T-shirts and sweatpants since going nude wasn’t an option. Today though, she’d put effort into styling her hair and was wearing an actual outfit. A flannel shirt layered over a simple black tee and black leggings may not have been sexy, but it was comfortable and made her feel confident.

“Leggings are just sweatpants’ socially acceptable little brother,” Liz replied. “But yeah, sort of. I got some good news so I wanted to go celebrate. I was actually gonna ask if you knew any good bars and if you’d like to come along. I asked Suzy too, but she and Arin have date night.”

“Do you like karaoke?”

“After I’ve had a few drinks to get the nerve, sure.”

“Then yes, and I would love to come!”

* * *

Dan and Liz huddled together in a booth, pouring over one of the songbooks from the karaoke company. Liz took a sip of her second drink of the night while Dan nursed his first beer.

“Do you know what you want to sing yet?” She asked him, nervously scanning the pages in front of her. “I can’t decide. I can’t do it.” She slumped into the booth, pushing the book away from her.

“You can’t choose or you’re too nervous?”

“Both,” she confessed.

“Would it help if I went first?”

“Oh my gosh, you would do that?” Liz touched his arm. “You don’t mind?”

“Of course not!” Dan smiled at her touch. “Not to ruin my own chivalry, but I do perform professionally. I don’t have as much stage fright as I used to. Plus,” he leaned in, whispering in a conspiratorial tone, “I bet most of the people here are way too drunk to notice if you do a bad job.”

“Huh. I haven’t thought about that,” Liz mused. She looked around and indeed, many of their fellow patrons were pretty toasted. It made for equal parts interesting performances and audience reactions. Overall they were pretty receptive and polite, cheering on everyone who got on the small stage, applauding enthusiastically.

Liz joined in excitedly as someone finished Bon Jovi’s “Dead or Alive.”

“There seems to be an eighties theme!” she shouted to Dan through the noise. “The last song was Bowie, and the one before it was Madonna!”

“Okay, I know what I’m doing,” Dan said, standing up. “I’m gonna go write my name in.”

“I’m gonna get another drink. You want another beer?”

“No thanks, I can’t drink too much. This’ll be my last one. Be right back.”

Liz made her way to the bar.

“Rum and coke please.” She stuffed a couple bucks in the tip jar as she heard microphone feedback.

“Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome our next brave soul, Dan!”

Liz sat on the stool nearby and leaned in as the music started. Dan stood with his back to the crowd, keeping time as his foot tapped on the floor. Then as he began singing, he turned around, making eye contact with various people.

“ _I hear the drums echoing tonight, but she hears only whispers of some quiet conversation…”_

Liz couldn’t keep her jaw from dropping. His voice was way better than he let on. And his stage presence was impressive. He was completely at ease, in control of the moment, and had the attention of everyone in the room. By the time he got to the chorus everyone was singing along.

“ _It’s gonna take a lot to drag me away from you! There’s nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do! I bless the rains down in Africa, gonna take some time to do the things we never had.”_

It was like a damn anthem, people putting their arms around each other and howling with abandon. Liz made her way closer to the stage in awe and Dan winked at her, grinning. He was _so_ dramatic, but it was fitting. Dramatic, but humble.

_Can you be dramatic and humble at the same time? Shut up Liz, you’re drunk._

All too soon it was over, and Liz found herself nearly screaming as she clapped for her friend.

“I know him!” She happily said to the man standing next to her. “He’s so nice!”

“Yeah, I bet he is, sweetheart,” he snickered before turning back to his friends.

Liz ran to meet him as he walked off the stage.

“Danny, you were so good! Why didn’t you tell me you were so good?!” Liz jumped up and down as she gripped his arms, half-full drink threatening to spill. Dan grinned widely.

“Thank you! Would you have believed me if I told you?”

“Nah, probably not,” Liz admitted.

“Okay, it’s your turn, go write your name down!”

Liz was inspired by the unintentional theme of the night and Dan’s dramatic performance, though she wanted to take it up a couple notches. She hastily scribbled down her song and went to join Dan, stopping short when she noticed a small group of people around him. Upon closer look, she realized they were handing him drink napkins to sign and taking pictures with him. Liz waited until they were done before she went up to him.

“Ooh, Danny is _so_ popular,” she teased, poking him gently in the arm.

“Those were actually some fans!” Dan said cheerfully, waving to a few of them.

“Oh, Game Grumps fans? Suzy told me a little about it!”

“Yeah, the lovelies are great! It’s always cool when I get the chance to meet some of them.”

“You guys call your fans ‘lovelies?’ That’s so sweet! And a breath of fresh air among all the ‘Yo yo yo, we’re the PAULERRRRRRS!!!’” Liz did her best impression of a drunken frat boy, complete with air horn sounds.

“Woahhh, easy there, Lizard,” Dan laughed as Liz wobbled slightly. “That's probably gonna be your last drink of the night.”

“No way! I can still read!”

“What?” Dan looked down at her in confusion.

“If I can still read, then I'm not too drunk,” Liz replied matter-of-factly. “But if I hit the point where I'm no longer literate, _then_ we have a problem. Hangovers will be on the horizon!” She grabbed the laminated menu in front of them. “French fries, five dollars. Onion rings, five dollars. Loaded potato skins-- _ooh_ , loaded potato skins.”

Dan burst out laughing as Liz made a beeline to the bar satisfy her craving. She had to stand on her toes slightly to be seen through the crowd but eventually got her order in. She turned around, looking for Dan and smiling when she found him again, waving him over.

“Bartender said he'd bring it over here for us,” she half shouted over the radio that played in between performances.

“Us?”

“Well yeah! I'd be an asshole to not share with you! What's the point of celebrating if you're gonna be selfish?”

“Hey, you never told me what we're celebrating,” Dan said cheerfully.

“OH you're right!” Liz beamed with joy. “I got all the bills squared away with my ex! I'm off the lease, everything's in his name now, and I don't have to worry about those bills anymore!”

“Hey that’s great news!” Dan clinked his half full bottle with Liz’s styrofoam cup.

“I know!” Liz rested her chin in the palm of her hand, smiling softly. “My life is finally going to belong to me again. No more ‘Where are you?’ or ‘Who are you with?’ No more explaining to my friends or family why I can’t see them anymore. Christ,” she said suddenly, tone dropping. She slid her hand to her forehead. “I haven’t talked to my family in years.”

Dan leaned in closer. “Why… why not?”

“Because Allen wouldn’t let me.” Liz chewed on her thumbnail absentmindedly. “He always told me they were disappointed in me, and that I should only surround myself with positive people. And he’s not entirely wrong, they were always very clear in expressing their displeasure, but Allen was adamant that _he_ was the only positive person. There wasn’t room for anyone else.”

“Liz…” Dan’s eyes were wide with concern.

“There was barely room for myself,” she whispered. “I gave so much of myself to him, and what did I get in return? Family estrangement and loneliness. And the worst part? I miss him.” Her eyes were fixed on a point past Dan.

“He threatened to kill me, was behaving as if he were going to act on it, and sometimes I miss the fucking piece of shit. How fucked up am I?”

Dan’s knuckles were white as he clenched his fists. He was not a violent person by any means, but hearing about someone being so horribly mistreated… The pain Liz felt was so raw, so visceral.

“You’re not fucked up,” he said fiercely. Liz’s eyes flicked to meet his, and was surprised to see that neither of them had dry eyes.

“But I--”

“There is _nothing_ you can ever or could ever do to deserve being treated like that.” Dan held his hand out to her, open. Waiting patiently.

Liz slowly and carefully placed her hand in his.

Dan covered it with his other hand.

“You deserve to be cherished and treated with nothing less than the utmost respect.” He said every word with a seriousness that Liz didn’t expect. His brows were furrowed in determination. Dan’s reaction was sobering, and Liz realized how much she’d let slip.

“Loaded potato-- oh, sorry for interrupting!” A waitress had arrived with their order and attempted to retreat, but Liz desperately reached out for the distraction.

“Nononono, I’ve been waiting for those!” She jerked her hand from Dan’s warm grasp and grabbed the plate of potato skins, plopping it square between them. Liz shoved an entire spud in her mouth before she could further incriminate herself.

“Dan? Hey man, funny running into you here!” A fairly short man with dark hair and a matching beard recognized Dan as he came to the bar, grabbing a beer.

“Barry! Hey!” Dan cleared his throat, getting up to hug him. “Liz, this is my roommate, Barry! Barry, this is Liz.”

“Oh hey, Liz! Nice to put a face to the voice through the intercom.”

“Hnnnng.”

Liz had forgotten she had a mouthful of potato but was swiftly reminded when she attempted to say hello. There was a moment of shocked glances exchanged before the two men exploded with laughter. Liz downed the rest of her drink to wash down the thick cheesy potato mixture.

“Okay, let’s try that again.” She cleared her throat. “ _Hello!_ ”

“There she is!” Dan shouted as they clapped for her. Liz bowed slightly.

“ Our next performance starts in five! Will Liz come to the stage?”

“Ooh, save your applause, gentleman,” Liz warned with a grin. “I’m gonna blow you outta the water, Dan.” She playfully poked him in the chest before sauntering over to the stage, stumbling only once.

“How long have you guys been here?” Barry asked as he tried to contain his laughter.

“Oh, about…” Dan checked his phone. “Two hours.”

The opening notes from a piano interrupted their conversation. They looked to the stage and saw that Liz was there, back to the crowd as Dan had started.

“ _Turn around… Every now and then I get a little bit lonely and you’re never coming ‘round.”_

Dan and Barry snickered immediately, knowing they were in for something good.

“ _Turn around… Every now and then I get a little bit tired of listening to the sound of my tears.”_

With every “turn around,” Liz turned slightly to look at the crowd over her shoulder, face the perfect exaggerated portrait of heartbreak. Dan slowly raised his phone and started recording video.

“ _Every now and then I fall apart!”_ Liz spun around, fully facing the crowd. “ _And I need you now tonight! And I need you more than ever!”_ She sank to her knees, singing with all her heart, arm flung out as she reached for the crowd. “ _And if only you hold me tight, we’ll be holding on forever…”_

There wasn’t a dry eye in the sea of inebriated, everyone waving their arms to the beat, including Dan and Barry.

“ _Once upon a time I was falling in love,”_ she sang softly. “ _Now I’m only falling apart. There’s nothing I can do, a total eclipse of the heart…”_ Liz swayed gently. Out of drunkenness or in tune to the song was difficult to tell, but it fit.

“ _Once upon a time there was light in my life, but now there’s only love in the dark… nothing I can say, a total eclipse of the heart.”_

The crowd repeated the last line back to her as she held out the microphone to them.

“You guys are awesome! Give yourself a hand!” Liz started clapping too, and kept clapping after she handed the microphone back. Minutes later she, Barry, and Dan were laughing so hard they were nearly crying over stories Barry was telling.

“Liz, you’re still clapping,” Barry pointed out.

“Ah, so I am.” Liz slowly stopped. “Maybe I was clapping because you’re such a good story teller?

“Mm, you do have a point,” he conceded.

“More, more, more!” Liz chanted.

“I’m a shitty cook,” Dan offered.

“How shitty?”

“I set off the smoke alarm trying to fry cookie dough on a skillet.”

Liz looked to Barry for confirmation, who just nodded his head solemnly.

“He not only set off our smoke alarm, but the _entire building’s._ I came home to the building surrounded by fire trucks as it was being evacuated.”

“Please tell me there were sexy firefighters,” Liz said eagerly.

“Oh the _hottest_ ,” Dan said with a wink.

“Wait, wait!” Liz interrupted. “Was the skillet okay?”

“Yeah but the spatula wasn’t,” Barry said glumly.

“I bought you a new one! And it’s even better than the old one!”

“But we don’t have history together,” Barry said in anguish.

“Whatever man, I’m about to go make some history with the toilet.”

Barry and Liz exchanged confused looks before turning them to Dan.

“That… that sounded better in my head.”

Barry shook his head and Liz giggled as Dan left in search of the restroom.

“Hey, wanna know a secret?” Barry whispered.

“Yes! I mean, _yes_ ,” Liz lowered her voice to match his.

“Sometimes I ask Dan to cook because I know he’ll ruin something and replace it with a better version,” Barry confided.

“No you do not!” Liz gasped. “That’s so… deceptively genius!”

“Hey, I only do it for little things!” Barry said defensively. “The spatula, oven mitts, measuring cups…”

“How did he ruin measuring cups?”

“He’s got a way with fire,” Barry shrugged. “Speaking of genius, I have a _fantastic_ idea.” Barry motioned for Liz to come closer. She leaned in as much as she could without losing her balance.

“Let’s set Dan up for a duet.”

“Oh, with who?”

“With you! Dan couldn’t keep his eyes off you during your performance, let’s see if we can throw him off a little.”

“Ohhh I get it. Battle of the egos, eh?”

“Basically. But we gotta act like it was his plan all along.”

“Wait, why?”

“Because it’s the only way to throw him off! He’s so easy going that a random duet wouldn’t throw him, he’d just roll with it. But if they insist it was his idea, that might get him.”

“You must be very bored,” Liz said bluntly. “I’m in, but this is not a good prank. We will have to discuss this when I’m sober and come up with something better. Go write it down, I'll keep lookout.”

Barry deftly wove through the crowd while Liz tried to remain inconspicuous as she kept an eye out for Dan. Spotting him wasn't difficult due to his height.

“Heyyy, you!!!”

Barry looked over his shoulder and quickly put something down in the book.

“Hey, you!” Dan returned Liz's greeting, though slightly confused.

“Where's Bar--”

“Ooh I love this song!” Liz interrupted. “C'mon, let's go dance!” Liz dragged Dan onto the dance floor as Barry finished writing and slipped past them, sneaking back to the bar. He gave Liz a thumbs up, who grinned in response.

Liz was by no means an accomplished dancer, but alcohol helped to numb the self consciousness she usually felt. Dan didn't seem to care either, laughing as he spun her around. Their faces glistened with sweat as they moved to the beat, swaying together without a care in the world. As the song ended Liz stopped to tie her flannel shirt around her waist, surprised by how warm it had gotten. “True” by Spandau Ballet began and she sighed, grateful for a chance to slow down. Without thinking, Dan and Liz moved in closer together.

For the second time that night, Dan held his hand out to Liz.

For the second time that night, Liz accepted his open touch.

“I can't remember the last time I did this,” Dan wondered aloud, hand on her waist.

“Touched a woman?” Liz teased, hand not quite reaching his shoulder.

“Oh definitely,” he chuckled sarcastically. “But no, just going out with friends, not working on something at the same time.”

“Dan, are you a workaholic?” Liz gasped in mock horror.

“I like to stay busy, but I could use some work on finding balance.”

“Afraid I can’t help you there. I’m probably the least coordinated person on the planet.”

“Trust me, I remember how we met,” Dan chuckled.

“Ugh, you’re never going to forget that, are you?” Liz groaned, turning red with embarrassment.

“Never.”

There was something in Dan’s voice that rendered Liz dumbstruck. An emotion stirred within, but she felt like she was swimming with a hundred pounds of clothing on. She struggled to move forward, but something was slowing her down, _dragging_ her down.

Liz frowned, trying to discern her feelings but was soon interrupted by the DJ.

“He couldn’t get enough, so our man Dan has a very special request!”

Liz was grateful for her bounty of distractions this evening.

Dan looked around, bemused.

“Liz, what--”

“C’mon, Dan! Ask her to sing with you!”

Liz feigned surprise as Dan took a step back, hands up in defense.

“Liz, I have no idea what--”

“Daaaan, Liz, come on up!”

A bright light shone directly on Dan, hands now shielding his eyes.

“When the fuck did you guys get a _spotlight_?!”

“Go Dan!!!” Barry shouted from the bar, hands cupped around his mouth in a makeshift megaphone.

Realization dawned on Dan as he made eye contact with his roommate.

“Okay, Barry,” he muttered to himself, following Liz to the stage. He warily accepted the microphone, suspicious of everyone.

He recognized the loud, upbeat synthesizers and laughed immediately.

“This one’s for you, baby!” He said into the microphone, pointing at Barry. Liz laughed in pure delight, holding her own mic.

“ _You were workin’ as a waitress in a cocktail bar when I met you. I picked you out, I shook you up and turned you around. Turned you into someone new…_ ”

If Dan’s earlier performance had been charismatic, this one was outright sexually charged. Dan bit his lip, threw ‘come hither’ glances, and made gestures with his hips that made Liz look away.

And the entire time, he maintained deliberate eye contact with Barry.

“ _Don’t… don’t you want me?”_ Pelvic thrust. “ _You know I can’t believe it when I hear that you won’t see me. Don’t… don’t you want me? You know I don’t believe you when you say that you don’t need me…”_

Liz couldn’t contain her excitement and happily joined in the chorus.

“ _Don’t you want me, baby? Don’t you want me, ohh? Don’t you want me, baby? Don’t you want me, ohh?”_

Dan fell back to let Liz take the lead for the next verse. She did her best to make good on her promise to Barry to outperform Dan. Trouble was, she couldn’t really remember what was sexy. She was sober enough to remember the words, though she was grateful for the karaoke machine’s lyric display, but too drunk to come across as genuinely sexy.

“ _I was working as a waitress in a cocktail bar, that much is true. But even then I knew I’d find a much better place, either with or without you…”_

“ _Don’t… don’t you want me?”_ Dan’s sudden reappearance by her side made her flinch. It didn’t go unnoticed and he winked wickedly. “ _You know I can’t believe it when I hear that you won’t see me. Don’t--”_

“ _Don’t--”_ Liz echoed softly.

“ _Don’t you want me?”_

“ _Don’t you want me?”_

“ _You know I don’t believe you when you say that you don’t need me…”_

The energy swelled as they reached the chorus, fully singing to each other. Liz wasn’t sure which one of the started jumping first, but they’d gotten the crowd to join in as well.

“ _Don’t you want me, baby? Don’t you want me, ohh? Don’t you want me, baby? Don’t you want me, ohh?”_

They repeated the chorus once more after the music faded, voices blending together seamlessly.

“ _Don’t you want me, baby? Don’t you want me, ohh?”_

Their drunken audience broke into the loudest applause of the night as Dan and Liz joined hands, bowing deeply. They handed the microphones back to the DJ, exhilarated.

“Nice try, Barry,” Dan laughed, clapping him on the back. “Next time, try something I _don’t_ sing in the shower.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When my beta reader got hints of where this chapter was going, she requested Danny sing "Africa" because she loves NSP's cover. I highly recommend checking out their new music video and sending them some love!


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